Alternation Nation
by Chiyoku Shibata
Summary: AU Slytherin!Dark!Harry. Harry befriends Draco in the hallway before the sorting. Kinda PlotAsIGoAlong...check it out and follow Harry as he discovers magic through the eyes of a Slytherin. Bad!Dumbles Good!Malfoys
1. Chapter 1

**Chiyoku says: **Hey everyone, this is my first try at a HP fickie...so please be kind.

It's kinda plot-less, and pair-less for now...so if you have any ideas or suggestions I'd be more than happy to hear them.

Anyways, Enjoy!

 **Alternation Nation**

**A fanfiction by Chiyoku Shibata**

**Chapter 1: Choices**

"...I can help you there." finished Draco, as he extended his hand for Harry to shake. The latter hesitated for some moments, as he looked hastily to Ronald and then at Draco again.

_I don't wanna be bullied here... _thought Harry, and with that in mind, he shook Draco's hand and allowed himself to be pulled gracefully away from the unworthy.

Draco, meanwhile, sneered in satisfaction down at a shocked and quickly reddening Ronald.

McGonagall then came back and took them to be sorted.

"I'm glad you made the right choice, Potter. You wouldn't have enjoyed the alternative" commented Draco in a soft and graceful drone.

"It wasn't that hard to decide. On the way here Ronald drooled twice; at my galleons and at my food." answered Harry, glad that he had indeed made the right choice.

"Figures...they are a disgrace to the rest of us pureblooded wizards, the whole lot of them. So don't you go around calling that undeserving fool by his given name. If you're gonna call him anything, then his family name is good enough...well, not 'good enough' concerning those 'Weasley's' but...you know what I mean."

Their conversation was cut short when they got to the front of the Great Hall. Since they had been talking the whole way they never paid attention to those around them.

Harry had obviously looked around, because honestly, who wouldn't? But not willing to take the risk of making a fool of himself, he filed away his curiosity for later. Deciding it would be better to wait for later and then read the Hogwarts history book. He'd heard a girl mention it when everyone had looked in awe at the ceiling.

After that, a hat started singing; Harry couldn't help but be surprised. _A singing hat...next you'll be telling me that people can turn into animals..._

"Pay attention as I call out your names!" droned McGonagall.

"Make sure you land yourself in Slytherin, Potter. Make your mother's memory proud." said Draco. Harry appeared shocked.

"My mother?"

"Gods, you didn't know? She was one of the best Slytherins to be had in her time. Who knows whatever she saw in your bully of a Gryffindor father. At least that's what I heard people say time and time again."

Harry was indeed much troubled about this. Hagrid had talked to him about how 'he didn't know a Slytherin that hadn't gone bad', but it turns out that his own _mother _was a Slytherin, and if this boy knew about it, then surely Hagrid would have known as well.

"Draco Malfoy!" called out the teacher.

"See you in Slytherin, then." greeted Draco as he walked away.

And a couple of names later it was his turn.

"Harry Potter!"

Walking up to the stool, Harry was both bothered and embarrassed to notice his name was on everyone's lips. Interestingly enough, the only table not to say much at all was Draco's table of the Slytherins.

Only a couple of people had said his name there, but each one of them immediately turned to a polite silence when he looked their way. This didn't happen at all with any of the other tables. And the one right next to Slytherin was especially boisterous; they were even pointing at him. And just before the enormous hat fell over his eyes, he heard a particularly loud comment from a redhead.

"Potter's bound to be with us. The savior will be Gryffindor." Harry frowned in annoyance.

_Anywhere but that table... _he thought.

_Which table? _said another voice in his head. Harry answered calmly and completely unperturbed by the intrusion.

_The one with the redhead._

_Ah, Percy Weasley. Yes, I understand. That boy always did have delusions of grandeur._

Harry snickered at the response, which made people look at him oddly.

_Anywhere but Gryffindor, then. Well, just as well since I wouldn't want you there. You have a lot of power locked in here, a curiosity for life, and a thirst to prove yourself. I also see lots of cunning and a need to put yourself high up in a safe place. You seem to loath and fear the place you came from._

_I must admit that you remind me of someone else from long ago; so much like him, so much like Thomas Riddle. And just as with him, there is only one house that will provide all that you desire, and help you on your way to greatness. Harry Potter, you belong in..._

"Slytherin!" finished the hat and yelling the name aloud, shocking students and teachers alike. Harry stood up awkwardly, because everyone was still staring at him in silence; he turned to look at Draco, and the boy burst into applause, bringing his housemates out of their stupor. The Slytherins cheered loudly and Harry smiled in relief as he went to sit next to Draco.

"Good Job, Potter. But I do wonder what the hat said, since you took an awful long time."

"Nothing incredibly interesting. Just that I had a lot of power locked in me, and that this house could help me achieve greatness..." commented Harry.

"well, it is true that Slytherins are the most eager to learn all kinds of magic."

"Oh! The hat said I reminded him of someone; someone from long ago..."

"Really? Who?" responded Draco in earnest curiosity.

"Thomas Riddle was the name, I think..."

Draco froze in shock, however unnoticeably.

"I wonder if you're related, then...?" pondered Draco, aloud; as if to mask his astonishment. Because Draco knew who Riddle was, he had known who Riddle was even before he knew who the boy had grown up to be. Therefore, he figured that if Harry Potter didn't know who the boy had been... since it seemed no one had bothered to tell him yet... there was really no reason why he should bother to enlighten the boy yet.

"Why related?" asked Harry, as his curious nature made itself known, now that he knew he wouldn't be punished for asking questions.

"Well, don't know who the bloke is... but if you're like him, then it's possible, right?" reasoned Draco, and for all the boy knew about Riddle, it was possible.

"...I guess..."

"We could try to find out more about the guy... we could check the Hogwarts Archives, if you're really interested, that is..."

"What's the Hogwarts Archives?"

"Oh... just a list of names of everyone that has attended this school since it was founded over one thousand years ago."

Harry eyes immediately betrayed his shock, and Draco smirked in amusement at Harry's surprise and complete ignorance.

"As you probably may have noticed, Hogwarts is really old. And you know, there is even a rumor that there is a book containing the names of everyone that will come to this school in the future, even names of people that haven't been born yet. I guess that's how they know who to send a letter to, considering that no one really registers or applies to this school... or any other for that matter..."

"That's really cool if it was true. How do you know so much?"

"Well, my father is in the board of governors, you see. He likes to keep me informed."

Harry nodded in understanding, and turned his attention to dinner.

**End of Chapter**

Thanks, for reading! Please Review!


	2. Chapter 2

**chiyoku says: **Hey again! Thanks for reading and reviewing, everyone!

Now, a few answers to some questions and comments for those curious souls out there...First of all, I want to try to make as much character development as possible, and I want my characters to be as human as possible. This means, of course, that not every character is completely truthful and light, or evil and dishonest. Also, remember that Harry just met everyone, so they're not gonna be telling each other everything, either, that would be kinda weird.

I haven't decided on pairings yet, I figured, you know, they just started school, and they're only 11 years old, so I'll try to introduce it slowly, you know, get the characters to know each other first, and see what happens. But it's _not_ gonna be a Harry/Ginny story, I already have _plans_ for her.

As for the rest, I'm not sure yet, I have some ideas floating around so...I do know already what's gonna happen during first year to some _important _characters. But you're gonna have to read and find out.

So that's it, hope you read everything above 'cuz it's important.

Enjoy!

**Alternation Nation**

**A fanfiction by Chiyoku Shibata**

_**Recap **_

"_That's really cool if it was true. How do you know so much?"_

"_Well, my father is in the board of governors, you see. He likes to keep me informed."_

_Harry nodded in understanding, and turned his attention to dinner._

**Chapter 2: Officious Underhanded Coots **

Harry kept turning this way and that for the first part of dinner. People kept staring at him from all over and it made him uncomfortable.

"Potter, ignore them. They are all unworthy fools." ordered Draco in annoyance.

"I know, but I can't help it. And some of the teachers have been staring, too." explained Harry, already in weariness of being the center of attention.

Suddenly, he turned sharply at the teachers table. Something told him someone was staring at him with ill intent. He turned to one corner of the long table, where Quirrel was conversing with someone.

"Who's that next to Quirrel?" he asked, quickly glancing at Draco, then back at the teachers.

"That's Professor Snape. He's the potions master and our head of house."

The man was staring at him intently, a sharp calculating gaze. But the feeling didn't come from him or Quirrel. _Who's watching me so much? Who would hate me already? _He thought.

It was then that his gaze fell on Headmaster Dumbledore, and the feeling sharpened. He stared curiously at Dumbledore in the eyes; trying to assess the man's purpose. The man stared back and Harry suddenly felt himself go numb. He couldn't look away. And it was like he didn't want to, either. Memories floated around him, his family insulting him, the time he chatted with that snake at the zoo, then sharply at the train ride, and finally the hall and his wish not to be bullied.

It was a weird feeling, as if someone was rummaging about in his head and was bringing up the memories. He didn't like the feeling at all, but he felt powerless to stop it.

A sharp jab on his side brought him out of it. He turned to stare at Draco, still feeling hazy. His eyes were slightly unfocused and he shook his head to bring himself out of it.

Draco stared in disgust at Dumbledore for a second, before turning back to Harry. Some of his housemates had noticed, as well, and they were all as irritated and disgusted as him.

_How dare that man try to read Harry Potter's mind, let alone a Slytherin Harry Potter?!_

"Potter, don't ever stare at Dumbledore in the eyes ever again!" ordered Draco in a sharp and demanding voice.

"...Why?" asked Harry, as he came out of his reverie and went back to eat the carrot cake in front of him.

"Dumbledore is one of the masters in the art of Legilimency, mind reading. And he was reading yours just now. Don't let him have the opportunity to try again." he finished, in a low voice.

"That's right!" cut in a girl next to Draco. She had short black hair and aristocratic features. "Dumbledore is a manipulative old coot! He'll do anything to have you under his old, wrinkly, smelly thumb!" a few people snickered at the description.

Another boy also cut into the conversation, "We all noticed how he was quietly seething at the fact you were chosen for Slytherin." The boy was as a tall and handsome black boy, with high cheekbones and long, slanting eyes. He had a very Italian look about him, as well.

"He wants to use me?" asked Harry in a voice that betrayed his anger. _I'm never letting myself be used! I already have enough of that with my so called family! _He thought as he turned angrily to glare nastily at Dumbledore. The man, though, didn't notice as he was engaged in a hearty conversation with a woman Professor sitting next to him and slurping his lemon flavored ice cream greedily. Professor Snape, though, did notice and adopted a rather curious look about him, while Professor Quirrel continued to talk with him.

"Yes," responded Draco, "but don't worry. We'll teach you all you need to know. After all, we can't have Harry Potter ignorant to the ways of the wizards."

They all glanced sharply at Dumbledore, who had now dropped the conversation and was staring at them with hate, but it was only obvious to those who were Slytherin enough to know what to look for.

The girl next to Draco coughed loudly, but very ladylike and brought attention back to herself. "I'm Pansy Parkinson, by the way. And I'm very pleased to make your acquaintance." She said, extending a hand around Draco towards Harry.

"Harry Potter, nice to meet you too." he answered, and then he kissed the girl's hand, just like he had seen done in movies he had been forced to watch with the cat lady who had often been his 'sitter.

Pansy blushed and turned back to her chocolate cake. Draco smirked and the other boy watched with amusement.

"Blaise Zabini, good to meet you." he said as he extended a hand across the table. Harry shook it, "Harry Potter, you too."

"Oh, I have a grand idea! Daphne Greengrass, by the way... I think we should form a study group!"

Harry shook the girl's hand as she spoke.

"Study group? We haven't even started classes, yet!" exclaimed Pansy in outrage.

"Not for classes, pug-face!" she answered, rolling her eyes, and Pansy sneered at her.

"I think she means for pureblood etiquette." said Draco.

"Exactly! If we all pitch in, then surely we could write a book with all we know and everything we've been taught. And not to be rude to anybody, but I'm sure there's many here who forget their manners from time to time."

"She's right," said Blaise, "besides, one thing is _home_ where you're around your parents all the time hitting you over the head if you mess up, and another thing is _school_ where stupidity tends to be contagious."

"Blaise is right," responded Draco, "in any case, we can't have any Slytherins making fools of themselves in public."

"We should start tonight!" exclaimed Daphne with enthusiasm, "after all, we start classes tomorrow."

"Yes, and we'll start with Potter over here; he's the one who'll be noticed the most." said Draco.

"Definitely! For now, honey," exclaimed Daphne in a conversational, cheery, and well educated voice, "try to look very self-assured, O.K.? Even if you don't know something, try to save the questions for later, act confident. You are powerful, and you know it. That's the image. But at the same time, try to look... well, approachable, and not condescending; because you're "The Savior of the Wizarding World", after all. And why didn't you kiss my hand like you did Pugsy's? I meant Pansy! Sorry, dear."

Harry tried to take in everything the girl had said, while Pansy looked at her with narrowed eyes. But at the last exclamation, Harry quickly grabbed Daphne's hand and kissed it. The girl giggled and grabbed her cheek with her free hand in a very lady-like, flattered and flustered, manner. Her eyes were sparkling, and her cheeks coloring sweetly from the bubbly feeling that arose in her chest.

The other boys rolled their eyes in amusement at the playful manner of Daphne and the obvious way that Harry was being led around.

All these pureblood kids are too adult-like for their own good...

**End of chapter**

Thanks for reading, please review.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chiyoku says: **Hi again everyone! Like I promised, an update on the 30th! I was actually all day with it revising it and fixing any grammar mistakes or anything, so it should be acceptable.

Thanks for all the reviews! Now for some answers:

I have not much of an idea as of yet on Snape...he's actually one of the characters still in line for process, as for Ron...I'm thinking I'll do a role reversal, you know. I've seen many talented authors use this idea, making Ron act like Draco would in light of Harry's rejection; especially since he chose Slytherin over Gryffindor.

As for Hermione...heheh...you'll have to wait and see, I have plans for her. _evil laugh_ (hint anyone?)

Now, for Dumbledore, I'm still in the scheming process for this guy...I'm thinking _manipulative _but not quite sure to what degree, and whether he'll be good, and just oblivious and dumb, or evil...so we'll see how he develops...

As for pairings...well there's still a long way to go before the thought of romance even crosses Harry's mind (he's only 11, after all). As of now...I'm leaning towards a Harry/Daphne pairing, for the far far far future (get it? far!) but you never know, so keep those suggestions for pairings you'll like to see, if there's enough of you wanting a specific pairing (for any of the characters), then I might seriously consider it...as of now though, there's really not much for romance that will influence the plot... (what little of a plot I have anyways...)

Phew...that was long, sorry about that! But it's interesting, so I hope you read it.

Now for the story!

Enjoy!

**Alternation Nation**

**A fanfiction by Chiyoku Shibata**

_**Recap **_

_The other boys rolled their eyes in amusement at the playful manner of Daphne and the obvious way that Harry was being led around._

_All these pureblood kids are too adult-like for their own good..._

**Chapter 3: Castles and history lessons**

"Alright, first years! Follow me and keep up!" exclaimed the prefect in a loud voice as he signaled with his hands to be followed. "I won't be responsible for you if you get lost! And you should know the dungeons are tricky and it could be days before you're found, so keep up!"

The newly formed group walked together, right behind the prefect. Harry looked around in awe, while Daphne instructed him to be inconspicuous and not so obviously impressed.

Draco drawled that, while slightly smaller than the school, his castle was more impressive.

"You have a castle?" asked Harry, obviously in shock and with awe in his voice. Draco raised an eyebrow in amusement and his lips twitched, a smile wanting to break out.

"Of course, Potter. Most of the surviving old families have at least a castle." he explained. "What about you guys?" asked Harry, turning to face Daphne and Blaise on his left.

"Well, honey, the Greengrass family descends from the plains of the north, so yes, we have two castles; but they are each smaller than the Malfoy's." explained the girl, from her place at Harry's arm.

"Well, of course they are!" exclaimed Pansy in outrage, as she leaned around Draco.

"Yes, of course. Everything is always smaller and less prestigious than what the Malfoy family owns." drawled Blaise in a toneless voice.

"It's true, my dear Blaise." agreed Malfoy.

Everyone laughed well naturedly.

"And you, Zabini?" asked Harry, returning to the topic.

"Well, Harry," started Blaise, intoning the boy's first name in obvious show; it was as if to say _let's go by first name, ok? _"my family is originally from Italy, so we own a couple of vineyards up north over there, and we do have a couple of very big houses, but they're more of a manor than a castle. Italy's not really big on castles."

"Well, Harry!" exclaimed Pansy in a loud gritty voice, making them all flinch slightly. Harry turned with weary eyes, and stared at the girl. "_My_family has two castles almost as big as the Mafloy's, they are very grand and luxurious! _And _we own many quaint businesses in Hogsmeade, _and _Diagon Alley."

What followed Pansy's statements was a series of annoyed sparks of magic, and barely concealed exasperated groans; it was so obvious that Pansy wouldn't be able to refrain from turning a simple conversation around to make it a competition, and a poorly executed attempt at gaining an ally, as well.

Harry didn't understand why his new friends were suddenly tense, and bothered; yeah, Pansy seemed to be trying to boast about her family's fortune, and she even practically interrupted Blaise in the process, which was quite rude and against what Harry assumed to be her pureblood education, but besides this, Harry seemed to sense that the others thought it was much more than that.

Draco, on the other hand, knew exactly what was going on here; it was one of Pansy's ugly traits showing their face, she wanted to make them look bad in front of a possible powerful ally, one of the first lessons in political maneuvering that their families taught them before coming to Hogwarts, but the way she was going about it was positively hideous, not to mention ridiculous since the people she was surrounded with were definitely smarter than her.

And Draco was going to show this vapid girl exactly how much smarter he was at playing these little game, and if it taught her a lesson for the future, then so much the better.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, my dear Pansy, but I was under the impression that the Parkinson's are not an old family by any means." he said, staring at Pansy in the eyes, shocking the girl into silence. "Now, listen here Harry, if I may take Blaise's lead into going by our first names;" continued Draco, as he now looked at Harry, to which the boy quickly nodded "of course" and went back to pay rapt attention to Draco's words.

"Father taught me all about the history of the current lines of purebloods, including, with great glee, Parkinson's. According to what he told me, which I trust to be of the most accurate order, two generations back, Patrick Parkinson, a merchant of the most simple lineage, managed to get himself married to one Matilda Vanderbilt." Pansy swallowed nervously, Daphne, already knowing the story, gave a small vindictive grin at Pansy and squeezed Harry's arm with delight. Blaise, giving pride to his family, held a neutral façade.

Draco continued with his short history lesson, while the group continued to follow the prefect through the long Hogwarts corridors. "Now," he said, "Matilda was the last of her family, due to generations of inbreeding, so in an act of desperation to keep the blood of her ancestors going, she conceded to marry Patrick and take his name. And, thus, the Parkinson's took possession of all of Matilda's family heirlooms, gold, and businesses."

Draco finished his lecture, and he turned again to face a very red Pansy, tense with anger and barely manageable weak bursts of magic frizzing the ends of her hair.

"Am I wrong, my dear Pansy?" he asked after some seconds of silent enjoying of the girl's irritation.

Daphne was still staring at the girl with a maliciously sweet smile on her face, and Blaise was pursing his lips to keep from laughing aloud, but a look into his eyes and anyone would be able to see the merriment that played there. Both young purebloods always did enjoy a good torment of those deserving of it. Harry, on the other hand, didn't quite understand what was going on, but he still found it amusing that the girl reacted so badly; she did look quite funny with her red face and frizzy hair. There was a smile playing on his lips, encouraged openly by Daphne, who looked at him with that smile on her face and a slight squeeze of his arm before her eyes went back to Pansy.

Draco felt completely satisfied at his actions; he had done his father proud, and he had redeemed the honor for his family and his friends that this insignificant little girl had tried to take away.

"Be that as it may, my dear Draco." started Pansy in a tight voice, "It only goes to prove that I have old blood running through me. The Vanderbilt blood." she finished with a huff.

"Be that as it may, my dear Pansy." responded Draco in a mocking tone, "Patrick Parkinson was a simple commoner."

Pansy huffed in barely contained outrage and hurried away from the group in indignation, with her hair stuck in an ugly frizz and her face looking more like a deformed tomato ready to burst.

The remaining of the group sighed deeply and promptly forgot her, well all except Harry.

"Is she gonna be alright? Is it o.k.? What happened..." he asked hesitantly.

"Lesson One:" said Daphne, pointing at Harry with her index finger from her left hand, which was the only hand she had empty, the other one still wrapped around Harry's left arm. "You are Harry Potter, and thus, you carry a lot of influence. What Pansy weakly and stupidly attempted to do is what's taught as 'stage management' among closed circles. When we started to talk about whether we had castles or not, as per your curiosity, she turned it into a battle over who had the most wealth and, therefore, power and influence with the current government system. Basically, Pansy figured that if she had better things than us, you would favor her, and as a result, she had a go at insulting us by saying how much more wealth and prestige than us she supposedly has."

Daphne sighed as she finished her explanation, and Draco took over.

"She deserved what she got, Harry. She will learn her lesson, at least for the moment, and come back to us by morning, wordlessly admitting her mistake and defeat, or at least what she perceives as defeat, since it was never a battle in the first place.

In any case, Daphne is right, but because you seem to be so ignorant of our ways you wouldn't have realized what she was trying to do anyways."

Harry nodded in understanding. _I still got a lot to learn, _he thought.

"That's why I suggested lessons!" exclaimed Daphne, "So next time you will know better, and you will be able to put Pansy in her place yourself!"

"By the way, Harry, you were raised by muggles, then, right?" asked Blaise, who had remained pensive up to this point.

"...yes...I've been staying with my Aunt Petunia and her family. She was my mom's sister." answered Harry in a low voice, as he instinctively looked down to hide his face, and flashbacks ran unabated in his mind about his treatment there.

The others immediately noticed the unconscious change in attitude.

Draco looked at Harry with concern flashing briefly in his eyes, and anger, also, at the thought of filthy muggles hurting him. Harry Potter was a very important person to their world, and Draco had taken a liking to him already. Granted, his father had suggested he befriend the boy, and to casually mention how his mom had been a Slytherin; his father was sure that the idiot old coot of the Headmaster would purposely neglect to mention this little fact, and would give Harry the bare essentials for him to assume his mother, Lily, had been Gryffindor as well, just like his idiot of a father, James.

Draco had immediately consented to doing this, mostly out of obedience to his father, partly because he would never turn down a chance to befriend the famous young boy, but most simply because he wanted to do it.

The point was that Draco was not going to let boy be taken advantage of by any of those evil fools who claimed to be benign light wizards; or any muggles either. Draco decided then and there that he would take Harry under his wing, offer him the protection that being associated with the Malfoy family offered, and he would teach him how to be a proper pureblood wizard; a Dark Wizard.

**End of Chapter**

Thanks for reading, please review.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chiyoku says: **Hi again! Oh, boy...I have no idea how I managed to make this chapter so extra long...but, hey! all the better for you! right? Yaay! Long chapter!! Woohoo! lol.

Anyways, thanks for reviewing! It makes me sooo happy! Also, I saw a lot of people added this story on their story alerts, thanks for that too! but I hope you will feel like reviewing? I know everyone loves to get some kind of feedback on their chapters, you know...but hey, whatever floats your boat, lol, I'm no beggar...

Now, some answers! I guess some of you are curious about Lily...mmhh...nope, sorry...I don't think I should give out any details about that yet...I don't have nearly enough plot as it is...lol...so a little mystery is good.

I will give you something to hopefully satisfy your dry lips...Draco and the rest of the gang will eventually find out that Harry is a parselmouth...not yet though...it doesn't yet fit in with what little I have planned. But you never know though, who knows where the characters will take me...

mmhh..what else...Harry related to Voldemort...will I or won't I? I think I will...lol...Harry will be related to Voldemort in my story! Don't fret, though, because I plan to make it original. I have a little history there planned to make the connection, and I don't think it's something that's quite been done like this before, so beware and pay attention! lol

That's it for the interesting news, so finally!

Enjoy!

Oh, and remember to consider reviewing, o.k.?

**Alternation Nation**

**A fanfiction by Chiyoku Shibata**

_**Recap **_

_The point was that Draco was not going to let boy be taken advantage of by any of those evil fools who claimed to be benign light wizards; or any muggles either. Draco decided then and there that he would take Harry under his wing, offer him the protection that being associated with the Malfoy family offered, and he would teach him how to be a proper pureblood wizard; a Dark Wizard._

**Chapter 4: Lessons  
**

Deep green leather couches in a half circle surrounded the hearty roaring fireplace, an oak wood coffee table stood right in the middle, between the seats and the hearth; there was an immense and prestigious looking carpet covering the vast majority of the cold stone floors, and oddly enough, it was decorated with black colored, angry looking, snakes that moved around every once in a while looking menacing.

There were more chairs on the opposite side of the fireplace, and right by them, all up against the wall, sat bookcases brimming with books and the odd magical object here or there.

Many tapestries and portraits covered the walls; the people in the portraits, all with regal attires and holier-than-thou expressions, observed as the students walked into the room and gathered in the middle.

"Now, the rules!" exclaimed the prefect loudly, as he waved his wand and a long parchment appeared on each of the first years hands. "Read it carefully and learn it! Most of what you will be wondering about is there. Carry this parchment with you at all times, and you should know that it's charmed so only a Slytherin can read it."

Harry and his group gathered together while they read the rules to themselves. Pansy, meanwhile, stood a few feet away with a black haired boy next to her. She was speaking to him in hushed tones and they both kept shooting what they thought were inconspicuous glances towards Harry and the others.

"Rule number one," read Harry in a low voice, "don't break the rules."

They all looked incredulously at their parchment and then burst out laughing.

"Rule number two," read Draco, "don't laugh at the rules."

This one had them laughing even more, but they stopped suddenly when the parchment gave them a mild shock.

"Rule number three," read Blaise, "I warned you."

Just then, the prefect spoke again, a smug look on his face. "As some of you may have noticed already, that is not just a simple parchment you are holding. It has a basic shock charm that activates whenever it thinks you are not taking the rules seriously."

Daphne raised an eyebrow and turned to her group, "It thinks?" she asked in disbelief. Harry looked impressed, with his eyes wide in amazement; Blaise looked curious, his eyebrows furrowed together, as if he wanted to take the parchment apart to see what made it tick; and Draco tried to look as if he didn't really care either way, but his eyes betrayed a bit of his fear and surprise.

The prefect continued, "It also has a secrecy charm that prevents you from blurting out, whether on purpose or otherwise, that this parchment of rules exists."

Professor Snape chose that moment to appear, wide and quick steps that made his cloak billow out behind him, he radiated confidence. The prefect moved to the side and the professor took his place in front of the first year students. He observed each kid quietly, and then he looked at Harry and stared at him for some moments. Finally, he looked over everyone once more and started speaking.

"Welcome to Slytherin House, everyone. From this day onwards, you are a family, and families always stick together. From this day onwards, you are a Slytherin forever.

You must show a united front now that you are here. Any petty rivalry disappears today.

The other houses will show us nothing but aggression.

They do not trust us, we do not trust them.

Do not believe anything you are told by anyone who is not a Slytherin. Furthermore, do not accept anything you are offered, unless told or given so by a fellow Slytherin.

Never show weaknesses. Never walk on your own. Never get caught with your guard down. And especially, never get caught at all!

We have won the house cup for six years running. Make sure you do not get caught doing anything to jeopardize it. If you ever do get caught, put that Slytherin cunning to good use and blame someone else. Don't give me an excuse to take points away! Many may say that I play favorites with my house, and while that is true, it is not the reason why we always win!

Slytherins win because they never get caught!

Slytherins win because there are never any witnesses, and if there happens to be any, a Slytherin will always make sure that nobody will believe them, anyhow.

Furthermore, pride is important, but it is best saved to show it to other houses, not to each other.

Trust each other always, and you will soon find out that what makes a Slytherin, and what got you into this house, is exactly the same thing for every one of you.

That said, welcome to Slytherin, make sure to read your potions textbook thoroughly, may your stay here be productive, and please, do your best to survive until graduation."

After the speech, Professor Snape reiterated the necessity of reading their potions book before classes and then he bid them goodnight before walking out of the room.

"Alright! Everyone, listen up!" exclaimed the prefect, once again bringing everyone's attention back to himself. "Girls, your dormitories are up this staircase and to your left, boys, the same on your right; you will find the rooms divided two people per room. Your names have already been added and you will find your belongings have already been brought up, as well. Take heed of curfew and make sure you are on time for breakfast because your schedules will be distributed then! Goodnight to all of you."

The prefect finished speaking, looked them over once and left, heading for a different staircase where the upper years and prefect rooms were located.

"Alright, let's go." said Draco, taking the initiative and leading the way up the stairs. Harry followed and the rest of the newly formed clique was behind him. The other first years went up after the leading group.

They went along a corridor until they came across the doors with their names. The pairings for the rooms seemed to have been selected by last names. This particular arrangement left the boys with the following rooming design:

Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle ended up in the same room together, which in the long run was probably the best for everyone. The two boys were as slow as they come, with pure brawn and no brains. Either one of them would have driven crazy whoever had the misfortune of rooming with them, so luckily they could just drive each other batty, which was doubtful it would happen anyways since they were both so dim-witted.

Draco Malfoy and Theodore Nott were roommates, a lucky combination for these two because out of all the people in their year, quite possibly in all the houses, Draco Malfoy and Theodore Nott are the most alike in blood purity; also, Nott is more of a loner and quite smart, and Malfoy likes to be the shinning star in a dark room. Draco is not as smart as Nott, but he makes up for it with a strong "Malfoy" desire to win and succeed in everything he does.

Harry had the good fortune of rooming with Blaise Zabini. Despite the fact that the boy didn't speak a lot, he always had intelligent things to say. Harry could benefit greatly from the knowledge that this neutral pureblood had. What better way to enter the Wizarding world than seeing it from the perspective of a neutral pureblood.

The rooms were pretty basic, two beds of dark wood and heavy green draperies stood opposite of each other against the walls; two desks, big as they were and made of the same dark wood were placed next to each bed, and two armoires stood next to each other against the back wall of the room. Everything was decorated in tasteful blacks, greens, and silvers.

There were two paintings hanging on opposite sides of the room; one depicted a lavish sitting room with a lit fireplace, and the other had a luxurious looking library, brimming with books from wall to wall. The paintings were both empty, except for a sleeping snake that lay curled on the mantelpiece above the hearth. Harry noticed this and he frowned curiously at it.

Outside the room, by the end of the hallway, there was a door that led to the bathrooms for the first years.

Blaise had already started to unpack; everything was neatly piled on his bed, before he moved to place it cautiously on either the desk, or the armoire. The boy looked at Harry surreptitiously before quickly waving his wand and casting what was possibly a locking charm on both his pieces of furniture.

Harry stared at Blaise before hesitating, and finally deciding to leave his clothes hidden in his trunk; besides his school robes and other required uniforms, everything he owned consisted of oversized hand-me-downs.

Harry felt ashamed at this, he was painfully aware that all his new friends were rich, _then again, _he thought quickly, _given what I know now of my life...maybe there is something somewhere that my parents left behind for me. Maybe I can ask Draco...he seems to know the most about these things...I just have to find out soon! I can't keep going around like this...not anymore... _

Besides this, there was also the fact that Harry was famous in this world, so even if his parents didn't leave him anything, Harry figured he could probably use his popularity to get the shops to give him free stuff.

_After all, _he thought, _famous people in the muggle world do it all the time. _

After flipping through his school things, Harry had the quick thought to follow the advice Professor Snape had given them, and so he quickly started to read through the introduction chapter of his potions textbook. As he got to about halfway through, Harry decided that it had definitely been a good idea to start reading.

A loud knock interrupted him, though, "Come in!" he yelled out, by then, Blaise was sitting cross legged on the floor, with his eyes closed and a small green onyx glowing faintly in his hands.

Draco was the one at the door, he came in and Blaise put the onyx in his pocket and stood up stretching. Harry had abandoned his book, placing it face down on the bed, open at the page where he left off.

"Mmhh, already studying, Harry? Good show, that. Snape doesn't like it when his students come to class unprepared. But leave it for now; we're meeting Daphne in the common room. We're going to go over survival techniques for tomorrow. We want to present the right image, after all."

Draco walked back out, with Harry and Blaise quickly following. When they got down, Daphne was already sitting on a couch by the bookcase, a deep blue shawl wrapped around her. When she saw them, she smiled and got more comfortable on the couch, sighing deeply and yawning once.

The boys all got comfortable in the other chairs and couches and moved them close to each other, so as to speak more at ease.

"O.k. first lesson." started Daphne, "We'll just cover what basics you'll need to survive your first day and get the teachers on your side." Harry nodded, paying close attention. "First of all, be prepared to endure isolation and even hostility from the Gryffindors. They were all expecting you to go to that house; because Gryffindors are supposed to be all courageous, light-siding, do-gooders. James Potter, your father, was a Gryffindor, and according to popular belief, he was the epitome of the perfect Gryffindor. Your mother, Lily Evans, is always assumed to have been a Gryffindor as well, when in actuality, she was a Slytherin."

Daphne finished, and Draco took over the lesson, "The problem here," he started, "is that most people assume that your parents were the perfect Gryffindor couple. So, obviously, you "Harry Potter, the savior of the Wizarding world", the son of the perfect Gryffindor couple, were expected to be the perfect little martyr, their hero. The "Golden Boy of Gryffindor" according to an article in the Daily Prophet a few days ago."

"Except for the fact that I never knew my parents, so how could I be expected to be like people I've never met before?" asked Harry rhetorically.

"Exactly," answered Blaise, "so there's going to be a lot of angry people out there. I wouldn't be surprised if letters started pouring in as soon as word is out that you're a Slytherin."

Daphne continued, now, "Despite popular belief, not all Slytherins are evil gits who make it a habit to torture people. So, despite the fact that, yes, we do have an image to uphold, our waking thought is not 'how much blackmail can I get on my dorm-mates today?' Because we have to be on high alert all the time we are outside our dorm, we try to be as pleasant and welcoming with each other in here as possible."

"Now, before it gets too late," said Draco, "for tomorrow, continue going over the potions book. More importantly, go over the footnotes, and review questions at the end of the chapter, because that's where he gets a lot of the questions he asks in class. The other teachers are more lax and don't tend to ask too many questions in class, at least during the first week or so of classes. Because, technically, we are not really expected to have started reading our books before classes start when you are a first year."

Harry nodded attentively as he had been doing all along, and turned to Blaise who has now started to speak, "Also," he said, "don't allow yourself to fall prey to provocations from the students. And be careful about that Weasley boy in our year, because he's likely to feel some sense of 'betrayal' over the fact that you chose Draco over him and the fact that you even got sorted into Slytherin."

Daphne nodded in agreement as she looked at Blaise, then she turned back to Harry, "Most important for you to understand is that our world has grown up on stories about you; so it is most likely that everyone who hasn't met you like us yet will have some preconceived notion over your personality, and all that."

Harry frowned at that, "The first one being that they assumed I'd be the 'Golden Boy of Gryffindor', which tonight was completely shattered, right?"

"Exactly, so what I think," said Blaise, "is that the awaited reaction will be that they will be expecting our house to hate and segregate you because we are all Dark Evil Wizards in the making." they all laughed a bit at that, before Blaise continued, "Many might think that the hat made a mistake and will be demanding you are resorted into Gryffindor, and they will probably be expecting you to comply or share their wishes without question."

Harry growled low at that, "Right," he said angrily, "which is never gonna happen because I'm not some mindless, stupid puppet for them to control! But...how do you guys know all of this anyways?"

Draco snorted regally at the question, "What, did you really think all of us get into Slytherin just because our families were sorted here?" he said.

Daphne smiled, and said "Sweetie, being pureblood usually brings about certain duties, and expectations for us, I'm not saying we are just puppets that follow along with whatever our parents want, but, our rank in society means that we've had tutors for at least a year already, in all kinds of subjects; mostly politics, history of our families and those other pureblood families which we are likely to come most into contact with, and basically anything we need to know to uphold expectations and keep our status.

Now, since most of or families have been coming to Hogwarts for several generations, it is expected, and practically imperative, that they give us lessons... from the basics that we will be covering in our classes, to important things to know about the teachers, and the castle itself. Besides that, if you're lucky enough, your parents might even have a list of all the entering first years, and any 'need-to-know' upper year."

She finished speaking and stared kindly at Harry as he took it all in, "wait," said Harry, "does that mean you knew I was coming already?" he asked.

"...oh, honey..." answered Daphne, "everyone in the Wizarding world knew you were coming... you're Harry Potter, boy-who-lived, and all that."

Harry sighed deeply, in annoyance and some sadness, and then said, "Right...I should get used to this already... everyone knowing everything about me..."

Blaise frowned, and stared hard at Harry, "No, everyone _thinking _that they know everything about you. Most of what the commons know is mere rumor taken as fact, like the _fact_ that your mother was Gryffindor...I know it seems like we keep repeating it, but it's just one of the most known _facts _that have been circling around since forever... and I have no idea how in all the levels of hell _that _one got started..."

Harry frowned thoughtfully, "...I guess with what you told me about all Slytherins being evil dark wizards in the making...most people wouldn't want to accept that a Slytherin woman gave birth to the 'Golden Boy' ...right?"

Draco nodded, smiling in approval, "Right! Just because we are Dark Wizards doesn't make us evil."

Harry heard what Draco said and stayed quiet as it registered in his brain.

"...what...?"

Blaise spoke now, "Well, that's a lesson for another day, though."

Harry looked between Blaise, Draco and Daphne in indignation.

"You really are all Dark Wizards?"

"Another day, Harry." answered Draco as he got up and stretched.

"But..." complained Harry in a quiet voice, his eyes wide and his eyebrows creased together endearingly.

Daphne got up and Blaise followed, grabbing Harry from his chair.

"Sweetie...Harry...another day, o.k.?" said Daphne as she went ahead up the stairs to her room, yelling goodnight from the top of the stairs.

"...o.k." said Harry in defeat as he sighed deeply.

And the boys followed Daphne's path up the stairs and they each went back to their rooms for a good night sleep, well, except Harry who stayed up a bit longer finishing the potions chapter, but he went to sleep pretty soon after, his thoughts on the lesson he had with his new friends.

**End of Chapter**

Thanks for reading, please review!**  
**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chiyoku Says: **In my defense...it's actually, midnight right now...I tried so hard to have it finished before midnight, so it would be updated in the 30th.! Oh...so sad...anyways...thanks to everyone for reviewing!

Now, for some answers:

Nope, no way, I'm sorry, but there's no chance at all for a Harry/Hermione...I'm not even sure she'll live to see 12 yet...oops..I think I said too much...just forget I mentioned that! lol.

Now, someone mentioned something about Dumbledore, I think, where i said that i wasn't sure if he was going to be evil and stuff or not...but then it seemed he was doing some bad things anyways...well, the way I see it is this: no one is completely good or evil, so when he used Legilimency on Harry, I'm sure he thought he had just the best of intentions when he did it...also, I also said something about him staring at the Slytherins with hate...but I also said you had to be Slytherin enough to see it. So maybe the Slytherins are just a paranoid bunch who thinks everyone is out to get them...get it? So there's really two sides to it all...which means I dunno still, if I want him leaning to one side or the other...maybe a bit of both, then?

Also, lastly, some people are loving Daphne, others think she's just too mature...well, for your information if you didn't figure it out already...I'M A GUY!!!!! Thank you. I'm attempting a girl character from a guy's perspective...and there aint too many girls in my life to make the comparison...so I'm just gonna try to balance a mature and sophisticated, but still only 11 years old Daphne...and just see what happens...help? lol.

That's it. Please Review!

Enjoy!

** Alternation Nation**

**A fanfiction by Chiyoku Shibata**

_**Recap **_

_And the boys followed Daphne's path up the stairs and they each went back to their rooms for a good night sleep, well, except Harry who stayed up a bit longer finishing the potions chapter, but he went to sleep pretty soon after, his thoughts on the lesson he had with his new friends_.

**Chapter 5: First Day**

A lisping voice sounded in the darkness, Harry awoke with a start. He let his eyes adjust to the darkness, before he realized they never would because the curtains around his bed were closed too tight; so he yawned and sat up in his bed, stretching and sighing in comfort.

Harry smacked his lips as he opened the curtains, _so thirsty, need water..._ he thought sleepily. He blinked his eyes a few rapid times as a strong ray of sunlight hit his eyes, _wait...sunlight? There are no windows here...we're underground..._ He looked around and his eyes widened as he saw that the light was actually coming from one of the paintings, the one with the snake and hearth had a huge window on the side that depicted a strong rising sun, _neat...I wonder if the time in the painting goes along with the time in real life...? Maybe they are here to compensate for the lack of windows? Ooh...the snake's awake! _Harry thought quickly and excitedly as he got up and walked closer.

The snake was indeed awake, and it was basking in a patch of sunlight on the windowsill, suddenly it opened its eyes and stared at Harry.

"Uhm...hello..." greeted Harry, only a tad uncertain. The snake seemed to sit up straight in shock, its emerald green eyes staring at Harry in an unnerving fashion.

"...I...I didn't mean to disturb you..." Harry added after a few seconds, the snake blinked and made to move closer to the frame, its black silky scales glistening with the suns' rays.

"Hheello, Zzshild." Greeted the snake with a hiss and a lisp to its voice, "It hazz been tzoo long zzince anyone could zzzpeak tzo me."

Harry looked a tad nervous, but maybe it was the combination of shock from speaking to an animal, and a portrait at the same time.

"Oh...uhm...I hope it hasn't been too lonely for you, then...I know what it's like to be trapped somewhere that you can't speak to anyone..." he said, remembering all the times when he was stuck in his cupboard for hours on end.

"Well, thzen...you zzhall have to zzpeak withzz me often from now on." answered the snake, "I will." said Harry, "uhm...you wouldn't happen to know what time it is, would you?" he added uncertainly.

"It hazz been one hour zince zunrizzee, I believe you zzztill have one hour of breakfazzt." answered the snake.

"Oh, thanks, I better get ready then...I'll talk to you later, nice meeting you." said Harry with a small smile, before he started to walk away and giving a little wave at the snake in the portrait.

"You azz well, Zzshild." And soon the snake was back in its sunspot, resting without any movement to be detected from anyone who looked.

Harry got dressed quickly; he didn't want anyone to see the ratty robes he wore underneath the school robes. Afterwards he went to the bathroom, and he noticed a few students already up. By the time he went back to the room, Blaise was up and about, dressed and ready to leave the room.

"Good morning, Harry."

"Morning, Blaise."

"Listen," continued Blaise, "I'm gonna go to the bathroom, you don't mind waiting for me, do you?" he asked.

"No problem."

Draco came into the room as Blaise was leaving and they quickly greeted each other, before Blaise continued on his way.

"Morning, Harry. Sleep well?"

"Morning, Draco. I slept pretty good, better than at my Aunt and Uncle's place, that's for sure...I thought I would be too nervous to fall asleep, but since I stayed up reading the potion's textbook I had no problem. You?"

"Well, I didn't have to read the book because I already went over most of the first chapters with my tutor, but the bed was ghastly in my opinion...we have much better ones at home. I'm gonna see if I can get my father to change the mattress on my bed, do you want one?"

"Uhm...I don't want to be a bother...it's o.k..." answered Harry, suddenly nervous again.

"It's not a bother if I'm offering, Harry. Honestly, those muggles." exclaimed Draco, first kindly, and the exasperated as he thought of Harry's muggle relatives.

"Uhm...sure then, if you're sure." said Harry, as he straightened his already neat robes in a nerves induced movement.

"Cool, let's go to the common room, I think Daphne should be down there already."

"Uhm...o.k...we still have to wait for Blaise, though." answered Harry as he grabbed his bag and made to move out of the room, but Draco stopped him for a moment, "Leave the bag," he said, "we still don't know what classes we'll be having, so we'll just have breakfast, get our schedules and then come back up and get our stuff."

Harry nodded and dropped his stuff, and together they went down the hall and to the common room.

"Good morning, Harry, Draco. Where's Blaise?"

"'morning, Daphne." said Harry with a shy smile.

"Morning, Daphne. Blaise should still be fixing his hair or something...Ow! What was that for? Oh, heh, hi Blaise..."

"Hi, Daphne." said Blaise, as he glared slightly at a sheepishly smiling Draco.

Daphne and Harry were smiling in amusement.

"Good morning, everyone. Are we going to breakfast soon, or what?" said a new voice, they all turned around and saw Pansy standing there like nothing, although she did keep touching her hair, probably a nervous habit.

"Good morning, Pansy." greeted Harry, everyone followed his lead and greeted her, and then together they all went to the Great Hall for breakfast.

On the way there Harry noticed most everyone watched him as he walked by. That would usually have been expected, considering he was the so called 'boy-who-lived', but in this case, some of those looks seemed hostile, especially from those in Gryffindor.

_It must be that sense of betrayal that Daphne mentioned they would be feeling,_thought Harry. He huffed resolutely and straightened his back, taking on a look of pride and indifference, as he walked on, surrounded by his new friends, and ignoring everyone else.

Draco tried to engage him in conversation but Harry could barely pay attention to the inane chatter, concerned and concentrated as he was in maintaining the image he was projecting.

_They don't even know me! They have no right to feel angry at me! Then, again...like Daphne said...they grew up being brainwashed with stories about me...so...in an odd way...it sorta makes sense that they feel shocked that I'm a Slytherin..those fools, concentrate Harry...concentrate! Indifferent, I don't care, I don't care. How dare they! It's so unfair! Being held up in a high horse, and then hating me for not meeting the expectations of those ridiculous fairy tales...they're so stupid! Breathe Harry, breathe. _

"...and most of us are supposed to have our classes together, but I heard that the Headmaster tends to pair the houses for most classes, sadist that he is...Harry, are you listening?" asked Draco as they sat in the Great Hall.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, the headmaster is a sadist, what else?" answered Harry absentmindedly.

"Honestly, Harry, this is important! I was saying that we might have some classes with the Gryffindorks, so we're gonna have to be extra careful, o.k.?"

"Uhuh, sure, careful, no problem...Ooh French toast! Nice."

"What's on your mind, Harry?" asked Daphne in a soft tone of voice as she daintily stirred her cup of tea.

"Huh? Oh...nothing much, actually...I was just thinking about everyone who was glaring at me on the way here..." he answered as he took a quick look around the Hall before giving his French toast a big bite.

The conversation was cut off as a line of flying schedules floated by and stopped in front of their owner. Harry grabbed his and looked it over.

"Remember, Harry, we all have the same schedule during our first year."

"O.k., Monday...Monday...here we are...today we have Herbology first, with the Ravenclaws, then History of Magic with Hufflepuff, then lunch, and after lunch we have Potions with the Gryffindorks...I mean Gryffindor, Draco you confuse me."

Draco laughed, "nope, you got it in one...those dorks."

The rest of their surrounding friends laughed as well and they turned to look at the glaring Gryffindors, which only made them laugh harder and the Gryffindors got more frustrated and angry.

"Mmhh...after potions we have charms with the hufflepuffs." commented Blaise.

Daphne smirked evilly, "Wow, two classes with the 'puffs in one day. The Headmaster really is a sadist."

"Yeah, I think it's his plan to toughen them up." commented an older student a couple of seats away.

"I give them a week." said another.

"I dunno...we have two classes with them today, I say by the end of the day one of them will end up in the Hospital Wing sprouting something inhuman." said Draco.

Everyone around them listening in laughed, and various students in other tables froze, because whenever a Slytherin laughed, it couldn't be anything good and if it was a group of Slytherins laughing...someone was bound to get hurt.

"Oh, we better get out of here, boys, or we're gonna be late for Herbology." said Daphne, as she got up.

"Yeah, and we still have to go back to our room to get our books." said Blaise.

The group got up, along with some others who were also finished with breakfast. They hurried to their rooms and quickly made their way to the Greenhouse #1 for their class.

"Welcome to your first year of Herbology." said the Professor in an agreeable voice as she looked them all over with a smile on her face. "I'm Professor Sprout. Now, this class works sort of in conjunction with Potions class, because many of the plants you learn about here you will see again in Potions.

Now, who can tell me what some of these plants here in front of you are?"

Blaise quickly raised his hand, and the Professor called on him. Everyone started taking notes after that, and the class went pretty fast and easy for everyone.

After that, Harry had the first shock of the day as he encountered the ghost Professor of History; the rest were shocked as well but they hid it better, they may have been told about him but it doesn't lessen that shock of the first time they see him.

The Professor quickly started his first lecture in a soothing voice, and soon most students were asleep.

After History, lunch couldn't come around soon enough for Harry and his group. They talked about classes and random things, and soon it was time for the famed Potions class with the Gryffindors.

On the way over to the Potions classroom, as Harry's group stopped for a moment when Pansy dropped some quills, the Gryffindors ran right into them; it seems they were running to try to get into the classroom before the professor got there.

In the lead of the group stood Ron, who as soon as he saw them turned red and he scowled angrily.

"So, the traitor is waiting to try to attack us, huh!" he exclaimed loudly. "Yeah!" yelled a black haired boy next to Ron, "Just like you slimy snakes to be trying to sneak attack someone who hasn't done you a thing!" he has an Irish accent and he was growling in anger.

Draco just looked at them with disdain, "How crude of you little Gryffins. Obviously we were just trying to get to the Potions classroom, you might be a bit slow to realize, but we do have the class, you know."

"Yeah, like we would lower ourselves to attacking such common blood traitor as a Weasley and a couple of Mudblood." added Daphne in a condescending tone of voice; her eyes glittered in enjoyment at the opportunity to insult such trash.

Ron turned even redder and took a step closer as he went to grab his wand; everyone saw the movement and soon the rest all had their wands out as well.

Blaise stared at Ron and the rest up and down with a disinterested gesture, "What do you suppose you're gonna do? Throw sparks at us?"

The Slytherins all laughed at that, and the Gryffindors growled again, just like the small lion pups they were.

Ron quickly noticed he was way out of his league, so he chose his next target for verbal abuse carefully...or not.

"Harry, how could you! How could you just sell out to the Dark so easily!" he exclaimed with a pained slash disappointed look on his face.

"Yeah, Harry! These are snakes! Slimy, evil snakes that will curse you in the back sooner than they would trust you!" exclaimed a small black boy standing next to Ron.

And then Ron spoke again, "Your parents Harry! Think of your parents! They would be so disappointed in you! How could you do this to them! To us!"

Harry suddenly grew solemn, his eyes widened and narrowed in rage, his lips set to a tight line, and his knuckles turned white from gripping his wand, then he spoke, venom dripping from his words.

"How dare you! You don't know me! You know nothing about me! And you know nothing about my parents! You have no right to say anything like that! Not you, not anyone else in this freak world has a right to judge me! You, you're nothing but an ugly, puss filled, red-headed cockroach!"

As soon as Harry finished yelling, sparks flew from his wand and hit Ron dead center, there was a explosion full of smoke, sparks and confusion; The Gryffindors yelled and took cover, while the Slytherins gasped and took a step back.

Suddenly a deep and low scary voice sounded behind them.

"What, pray tell, is going on here?"

It was Professor Snape, and at his words everyone froze and got ready to run for their lives.

"Well? I'm waiting, what could you possibly be doing that detained you from getting to my classroom on time?"

The Slytherins unfroze first and turned around to face the Professor, calm exteriors all around.

"Well, it's simple really." started Draco, "We were calmly heading to your classroom, Professor, with enough time to get there early. When the Gryffindorks here ran into us!"

Pansy decided to take over and grab some attention, "Yeah, Professor! They accused us of wanting to attack them! And then they insulted us!" she screeched.

Professor Snape hid a wince at the girl's voice, and turned his calculating eyes to Harry.

"Mr. Potter, care to tell me what happened?" his voice was slow and measuring, as if whatever Harry answered could make or break his future in school.

"Uhm...yes, Professor. Uhm, Ro-uhm, Weasley here insulted my friends...and then he accused me of being a disappointment...uhm...a disappointment to..."

Blaise saw the difficulty the boy was having and helped him out, "Professor," he spoke, bringing Professor Snape's attention to himself, "Weasley insulted Harry's parents, he insulted their memory. Naturally, Harry took offence and defended himself and brought pride back to his family name by doing a nice bit of accidental, emotion driven magic."

Professor Snape's eyebrow rose at that, "And where, pray tell, is Mister Weasley, then."

Everyone froze again, both Slytherins and the Gryffindors, who were trying to hide inconspicuously in the background.

As one everyone turned around, and no longer hidden by smoke and confusion, they saw a big ugly, bright red cockroach, dripping something white from its hind.

"Eeeeeewwww!" screeched Pansy, as she covered her nose.

"Oh Merlin, is that...?" asked Daphne in excited wonder as she gripped Harry's arm.

"I...I think it is..." murmured Harry.

Blaise and Draco looked at the Weasley Roach, then at each other, and at once they started laughing; their friends all started laughing soon after, even Harry.

Professor Snape sneered as he came forward and stared at the Weasley Roach, "20 points from Gryffindor, Mister Weasley, for insulting a student, and detention with me tonight at 7. And you two, 10 points from each of you as well, for acting like idiotic Gryffindors. And you girl, hiding in the corner, yes you, with the bushy hair and buck tooth. 10 points for letting your fellow Gryddindors get into trouble. And take Mister Weasley to the Hospital Wing, can you manage such a simple task?"

The girl nodded and stumbled, she took a napkin from the pocket and grabbed Ron with it and took off running.

Professor Snape sneered again, "Another 10 points for running through the Hallways." he called out loudly, and the girl stopped running with a stumble and kept walking away fast.

Draco smirked at Blaise, "60 points away and the class hasn't even started yet."

Professor Snape turned back to his Slytherins, "10 points to each of you for defending yourselves. Mister Potter, another 15 points to you for a nice bit of accidental transfiguration."

The Slytherins all smiled at their Professor, while the remaining Gryffindors scowled at them.

"Now, if you're not in that classroom seated and ready before I go in, you will be late." added the Professor, and the students took of walking fast inside the classroom.

Professor Snape waited until all the Slytherins were inside and seated, so by the time he came in, the Gryffindors were still talking and walking around; they ended up losing another 10 points.

Then he gave his customarily yearly speech about brewing glory and stopping death, and the delicate fumes of the cauldron.

"Finnigan! What would you get if you added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"

The boy in question jumped at the question and dropped his parchment on the floor, "I...uhm...I dunno, sir..." he answered, his voice trembling almost imperceptibly.

Professor Snape scoffed and looked at the Slytherin side of the classroom, Harry immediately raised his hand up high.

"Mr. Potter?"

"You get a potion called the draught of living death, sir...it's like a very strong sleeping potion, that makes people think you're dead if you drink it."

"10 points to Slytherin, Mr. Potter," said Professor Snape, then he looked at Finnigan with a smirk, "for the ability to open a book."

"Let's try again, then... Mr. Thomas, what's the difference between monkshood and wolfsbane?"

"I...I think I'm gonna go with Seamus on this one...no idea." the boy answered.

Professor Snape sneered, "15 Points for your bloody cheek, Mr. Thomas. Your father is a muggle, isn't he?"

Draco raised his hand this time, and Professor Snape called on him, "The answer is nothing, Professor, they're the same plant, which also goes by the name of aconite."

"Very good, Mr. Malfoy. Another 10 points to Slytherin. Now, let's see...Mr. Finnigan, let's try again, shall we? Where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar."

The boy looked around nervously, as if someone was going to give him the answer or save him from doom; but no one came to his rescue.

"Uhm...your potions cabinet, Professor?" he ended up answering.

Professor Snape scoffed again, "15 points for your idiocy, Mr. Finnigan. Is your father, perchance, a muggle as well?"

This time it was Blaise who raised his hand, "Professor, a bezoar may be found in the stomach of a goat, and it will protect you from most poisons. Also, contrary to popular belief, a bezoar is not a stone at all, it's actually a hairball, which is so compact that it almost has the form and consistency of a stone."

Professor Snape smirked and nodded in agreement. "Very good, Mr. Zabini. 20 points to Slytherin. Looks like someone at least bothered to look at the book."

The rest of the class went much the same way, with a lecture, more questions and tons of note taking. All in all, Gryffindor was way down in points by the end of the class, which left them fuming in anger, and with thoughts of revenge; especially from Ron, who ended up in roach form for the rest of the day.

Also, it might interest you to know that by the end of Charms class, a Hufflepuff actually ended up sprouting chicken feathers; it was a very hilarious incident in which a Slytherin scared a Hufflepuff, and the Hufflepuff accidentally cursed a fellow dormmate...very funny.

**End of Chapter**

**Please Review!!! See you next time!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chiyoku says: **Hey, everyone, how you doing? Listen, first and foremost...let me just say 'sorry' I wanted to make this chapter longer and more interesting, but I'm afraid that life got in the way...anyways...I won't bore you with the details because it's too depressing...but the point is that this chapter ended up being barely anything more than a stupid filler...I guess my point is that, since I promised, I wanted to get something up on the 30th, even if it's just a filler..

so that's it...

Thanks for reviewing!

Enjoy!

**Alternation Nation**

**A fanfiction by Chiyoku Shibata**

_**Recap **_

"_Oh, thanks, I better get ready then...I'll talk to you later, nice meeting you." said Harry with a small smile, before he started to walk away and giving a little wave at the snake in the portrait._

"_You azz well, Zzshild."_

_Blaise and Draco looked at the Weasley Roach, then at each other, and at once they started laughing; their friends all started laughing soon after, even Harry. _

_All in all, Gryffindor was way down in points by the end of the class, which left them fuming in anger, and with thoughts of revenge; especially from Ron, who ended up in roach form for the rest of the day. _

**Chapter 6:**

"All right, so we're just gonna go to the library and finish our letters, and then we gotta go by the owlery before dinner...so see you guys later, o.k.?" announced Daphne as she walked to the door of the common room with Pansy. Harry and Draco waved at them, but Blaise got up to follow them.

"I'll walk with you, I wanna get a head start on that Charms essay that Professor Flitwick said he was gonna give us next week."

"Oh, sure." said Daphne. Pansy, however, rolled her eyes at the boy. "You're such a geek, Blaise!" she exclaimed loudly, and it a high-pitched voice.

"Better a geek than an annoying little eejit." he responded calmly, "Now let's go, I don't wanna waste my time."

Daphne let out a quiet laugh as she looped her arm around Blaise's and waved towards the other boys again. Pansy, however, huffed and followed them out of the common room with her head held high.

As soon as they were out, though, they adopted a quiet indifference and Blaise moved with Daphne so that he could hold Pansy with his other arm. They may clash at times, but, as Professor Snape so aptly pointed out at the speech the night before, it all stayed in the common room.

Back in said common room, Harry and Draco sat there with their books, going over what they saw in class and getting organized to start doing assignments.

A while later, they had a small pile of parchment on one side and the pile of school books were already put away.

"All right, I think I'm almost done. Thank goodness they don't give us much on the first day...except for Professor Snape..." commented Harry as he sat back on the couch.

"Yeah...but at least it's only a foot long, and besides, it's on Boil Cure Potion, which is one of the easiest there is!" responded Draco, only looking up for a second before going back to the essay he was proofreading.

"How did you get done with it so fast! It's not fair..." said Harry with a pout, and a halfhearted frown.

Draco laughed, "I had a tutor remember? I already went over this stuff. But hey, it's really not that hard, you know. As long as you read the chapter ahead, and actually go over the review questions and exercises, you'll be fine. Besides, we don't have our next class until Wednesday, you know."

"Really?" exclaimed Harry as he turned to look through his stuff to find his schedule.

"Yes, really. Did you even look at the schedule beyond today? Sheesh, Harry, that's not very Slytherin, you know. Take it as a lesson. A Slytherin always plans ahead."

Harry finally found his schedule and looked it over, "O.k. Tuesday...tomorrow we have Defense Against the Dark Arts with the Gryffindorks...and this time it was on purpose..." started Harry as he shared a quick smirk with Draco. "Then we have...study period?" he read with curiosity as he looked to Draco for an explanation.

"Oh, yeah..." answered Draco as he looked up and put his quill down, leaning back on the couch he was sharing with Harry "it's not really a class or anything...but we're supposed to stay in the common room or the library, and...Well, study, I guess...it comes in useful when we need more time to finish assignments or study for an exam."

Harry nodded in understanding, "cool, so if we don't have anything to do we can always relax and say we're trying to relieve anxiety or something, right?" he said.

Draco smiled in approval, "very good, Harry. That's thinking like a Slytherin."

Harry blushed at the praise and quickly looked back at his schedule, thinking about how good it felt to receive praise, even for such a small thing, because_the Dursley's would have never even thought to give me a smile let alone a praise..._he thought, _it feels good, I almost feel like I wanna keep pleasing him. _

"Uhm...o.k. ..." continued Harry, still a little exhilarated and nervous, now. "So, Defense...study...then lunch...we have Transfiguration... with the Gryffindorks again...oh, cool! Astronomy! It says here we're supposed to meet at midnight at the top of the Astronomy tower for the class! Mmhh, with the Ravenclaws..."

"Excited, Harry?" asked Draco with a grin, "the Ravenclaws are o.k. Most of them have many of the same qualities as us. And, also, many of them come from the same circle of families that the Slytherins do. In fact, Blaise is the first of his family to be sorted into Slytherin for about 2 generations, the mostly end up in Ravenclaw, so usually it could go either way. I guess the main difference would be that whereas we, as Slytherins, naturally seek knowledge of anything that can give us an advantage in any situation; the Ravenclaws mostly seek knowledge just for the sake of knowledge itself."

"Cool." said Harry with a thoughtful look, "You know...the hat told me that I could be great in Slytherin, and basically, that I could achieve anything I desired here. He never hesitated in his belief that I should be sorted into this house."

Draco looked thoughtfully at Harry, "Well, your mother was in Slytherin, you know." he said.

"Well, yeah, but I heard that there had never been a Potter anyplace besides Gryffindor, and also, I didn't even get to know them, so it's not like it can be said I grew up under their influence or something..." responded Harry.

"Harry, what is it exactly that you're wondering about?" asked Draco.

Harry sighed deeply and sat back with a frown, "not anything in specific, I guess...but I just wonder about them, you know. And how everyone in the Wizarding World, until I met you, kept telling me these wonderful stories about them and their so called 'Golden Love', and crap...but then I realized, that they never really told me anything about my mom...they only ever mentioned my dad, you know...and even then the people who talked to me didn't really seem to know that much at all...I just hate not knowing anything..."

Draco frowned a bit and sympathy reflected in his eyes.

"I think I can help you with that, you know." he said.

Harry looked at him with hope shinning on his features, "really?" he asked.

"Yeah...you know how I told you that my father is on the school board? Well, he works in the ministry a lot, and he has a lot of influence. I could write a letter to him, you know. I could ask him if he knows anything that you can do to find out more about your parents. There has to be a Will somewhere, too. The Potters were a very old family, and there's bound to be something they left behind. And even if they never had time to do a Will, you're probably the only heir to the family, which would mean that you would be entitled to inherit anything left behind under the Potter name, regardless of a Will's presence or not."

Harry swallowed nervously, and smiled gratefully. "I'd appreciate that a lot. It's so cool that you know so much...is it possible that I could learn about all that? I mean...is there like a book to learn about things like that, or did a tutor teach you?"

Draco smiled back, "No problem, Harry. If there's ever anything else you're wondering about don't hesitate to ask me, or even Daphne or Blaise. You weren't raised here, and you didn't even know about our world until you came here...so it's natural that there are lots of things you won't know. And, yes, a tutor did teach me, but he used a book as well, I still have it, so when I write my father I could ask him to send me the book with his reply. There's practically a book about _anything _that you ever need to know, you just need to know where to look for it if it's difficult, you know. You can learn about anything you ever feel like learning, in fact...that gave me an idea! In conjunction with the small lessons we're gonna be giving you, I'm gonna ask my father to start sending me some of the books I learned from! Maybe some extra ones as well...to learn the things I never needed a book for..."

By the time Draco had finished speaking, he already had set a blank parchment on the table and had started a rough draft of a letter to his father, together with a list of the things he needed for his father to find out for Harry, and a list of books.

Harry just stared at the boy in wonder. It was still a bit hard for him to believe that he could actually make friends, let alone friends that would go to such lengths for him. All the Dursley's ever did for him was put him down and treat him like a horrible vermin that didn't even deserve to be graced with their presence...it would still take a while for him to get used to it all.

Meanwhile, in another part of the school, three people sat in an office; one of them behind the desk, with his arms crossed in front of him in a tense manner, the second man sat scowling in his chair in front of the desk, and the third, a woman, sat tersely on her chair, the air around her almost crackling with magic, which odd enough, almost took the shape of a cat.

The woman hissed and then spoke, "Tell me, Albus, why is the boy in Slytherin! You promised him to me! You said! He was going to be in Gryffindor for sure!"

The man behind the desk, Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry, supreme mugwump and all around 'good guy', if you were fool enough to believe the rumors, that is, sighed deeply with barely suppressed anger.

"I assure you, my dear Minerva, that I did everything possible so the brat wouldn't end up anywhere but Gryffindor. I made Hagrid go pick him up, and you know how much the blasted half-breed worshipped those Marauders. And I even planted that fool of a woman, Mrs. Weasley, telling her how much I feared that poor, poor _Harry_ would get lost on the way. And the _muggles_, they weren't that hard to convince when I waved a few hundred pounds on their faces, filthy creatures such as they are!"

McGonagall scoffed blatantly, and crossed her arms, "Well, obviously you failed."

Dumbledore narrowed his eyes, and tightened his hands, "Yes, I noticed. Apparently there were a few incalculable factors that I failed to consider."

Now, it was Snape who scoffed, "Obviously. Especially if they were _incalculable _such as you say."

Dumbledore turned to Snape, and almost scowled, "And you, Severus, why are you favoring the boy? You were supposed to show anger and disdain towards him, not shower him and his little _group _with points!"

Snape sneered, "He's a Slytherin, Albus! Obviously the Hat put him there for a reason. And I always favor my Slytherins, because no one else will give them a break. And besides, it certainly was amusing to see him and the others of that little clique besting the Gryffindors. I especially enjoyed that bit of Transfiguration he performed on the Weasley boy."

McGonagall agreed with a nod of her head and went on another short rant, "I agree completely, his magic obviously favors Transfigurations! So naturally, he should be in _my _house! Albus, you have to do something! Make him want to change houses! Isn't there some way you can get him to have a resorting? There's no way we'll be able to have our Golden Boy if he's in the Silver house!"

Snape sneered at the implied insult to his own house, "Well, then you'll just have to invent some other silly little nickname, won't you. Serpent Boy, perchance? In any case, you really didn't expect him to be exactly who you wanted if you never checked on his development, now did you?"

McGonagall was about to retort but Dumbledore shushed them, "There, there children. Let's be reasonable here. I'm sure there's a way we can all have what we want."

Snape narrowed his eyes, and McGonagall pursed her lips, "What do you have in mind?" she asked.

"We'll just have to_persuade _sweet, young, _naïve_, Harry that choosing Gryffindor is for his own good."

**End of Chapter**

**Please Review!! See you next time!!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chiyoku says: **Happy 4th of July to all those fellow American's out there!!

**Alternation Nation**

**A fanfiction by Chiyoku Shibata**

_**Recap **_

"_...There has to be a Will somewhere, too. The Potters were a very old family, and there's bound to be something they left behind..."_

"_We'll just have to persuade sweet, young, naïve, Harry that choosing Gryffindor is for his own good." _

**Chapter 7: The Book**

_Father, _

_it has been a week since I started school, forgive me for not writing sooner, _

_but as I told you in my previous letter, __I have been fast becoming friends with Harry Potter. It has proven to be an easy task to accomplish, given that he doesn't seem to have had a good childhood. _

_I thought that you should be informed of the fact that it seems that Dumbledore has done it again, and he has placed a child in the hands of magic-fearing muggles. _

_Harry, as we have taken to calling each other by first name, seems to have unconsciously taken to me as his mentor. _

_The bottom filth of the Weasley clan that has plagued the school, --the girl notwithstanding, given that there may be hope or use for her yet-- has been attempting to cause trouble for us, but all he has done is become troublesome and he has, furthermore, placed Gryffindor in the last place for the house cup. _

_I believe it's safe to say that he is not well liked within the majority of the Gryffindor group. _

_On to other matters, Harry has become interested in finding out more about his family history; I still find it atrocious that he thought his mother was Gryffindor, but I suppose it should have been something to expect. _

_Father, the main reason for this letter is to ask you for a favor for Harry; I know it would be in the family's best interest to help him either way, but, given the situation, I thought it best to make it formal._

_In Harry's name, I would find it helpful, and Harry would be very thankful, if you would use your talents of persuasion in the Ministry to find any type of information, like maybe a Will of some sort, that could be put to good use into bettering Harry's life; moreover, I figured that it would be a benefit for all involved, if you would find a way to become Harry's guardian in place of the muggles. _

_I'm sure that some people in the ministry would find it interesting that their savior ended up with the completely wrong sort of people. Not only are they muggles (enough said), but it seems they are magic-fearing, Harry-hating, muggles. _

_Who would ever think that those people would be the right sort of environment for a savior? Dumbledore, I'm sure. _

_You already know all of this, though, so I'll leave it at that. _

_Now, onto other things, Severus has been as helpful as ever, McGonagall, though, I think she's up to something, but I'm not sure what. She's been acting weird...one minute she's insulting all things Slytherin, and the next she's trying to get on Harry's good side. It's like she's possessed or finally went crazy from old age and too much red... _

_I'm sure Dumbledore must have something to do with it._

_Classes have been good, however boring, and I've been getting great marks on all my work. Harry, with the help of a little tutoring, has been doing almost as good as myself. _

_Also, thanks to a suggestion by Daphne Greengrass, we formed a small group consisting of myself, Daphne, Harry, and Blaise, oh, and Pansy as well...on occasion, I suppose, whenever she's not being troublesome...in which we mostly help Harry shape up into a worthy, and upstanding pureblood, like he was meant to be. _

_Harry is a very quick study, and in a mere week, he's been doing very well. I suspect it might be due to his life before Hogwarts, however helpful it is for us, he's very easy to mould, and he's very fast in wanting to please. _

_But, like I said, however helpful, it troubles me, because it is a sign of the life he must have had before meeting me. I suspect that this was Dumbledore's plan all along, you've taught me well on the matter and, thanks to you, I've been able to look at the bigger picture in regards to small events which would have been inconsequential to me otherwise, had it not been for your teachings. _

_My theory is that Dumbledore wanted an easy-to-mould savior, one who would go to Gryffindor and make friends with people like the Weasley's. _

_I thought about this because when I first met him, Harry told me that he rode with Weasley on the train. The filthy blood traitor, however, being as poor and desperate as he is, didn't do a good job persuading Harry to his side, given that Harry told me of the grievance of having Weasley drooling over his galleons and his food._

_I don't want to take up much more of your time, however, given that I know how busy you are; I do hope, nevertheless, that you will be able to take care of all things Harry with due promptness, as it would be nice having him over for the duration of this years winter holiday._

_With all due affection, your son, _

_Draco Malfoy_

Lucius Malfoy finished reading his son's letter, and his mind was running a mile a minute with the thoughts that it had inspired. It seemed like everything was going well, the only thing that troubled him was Dumbledore. According to his son, the old man was up to something, and whatever it was, it wasn't any good for his plans. Like his son suggested, it probably has to do with Harry Potter not going to Gryffindor, but it's too late now, what could he possibly be planning?

Maybe turn the boy against his own house, but Draco and the rest would never allow that to happen; besides, the young Weasley boy was doing a good job on his own in turning Potter well against anything Gryffindor.

On that thought, his mind jumped to think about a specific part of the letter, Potter wanted to learn of his roots, and Lucius had just the answers. However, it was important to be careful how the information was presented, it wouldn't be good if he accidentally made Potter view dark as evil, or some such nonsense.

Some research was in order first, and Lucius knew just the book he would find his answers from.

With this thought in mind, he rose from his throne-like chair in his office, and left. Walking down the halls of his manor, he passed by the parlor with bare a nod to Narcissa, who once again was entertaining her dear friend Lady Zabini.

"Ah, he is so hardworking, that husband of mine." said Narcissa Malfoy with a dreamy smile after she saw Lucius rapidly walk by; he looked distracted, and she knew that look, he was a man on a mission, but only he knew what kind of a mission that was.

She did, however, remember that they got letters from dear Draco that morning, hers being always less than a parchment long, while Lucius's letter looked quite extensive. So maybe his mission was something related to the letter.

Her dear husband always did require quite more detail than she did, and besides that, her letters from Draco were always less formal and more "mommy-to-her-sweet-child" than the "Father-to-Son" formal types from her husband; however while being true, it wasn't quite fair to her husband that she would categorize them in such a way.

Draco is their only heir, and more importantly, the first born son of an important family. There were a lot of expectations over the things Draco needed to learn. Poor Draco had such a weight on his young shoulders over acting a certain way, and knowing certain things... sometimes she wished he could be more free to act his age and less his father's age, and Merlin help her, maybe even more plebeian.

While poor and not quite as educated as herself, she always knew in her heart of hearts that plebeian people had the freedom to act however they felt like, and while growing up, she had often found herself envying all those low class kids running around Diagon Alley, knowing that if she ever were to act the same way, she would be punished; after all, the Blacks had quite the weight upon society, and Merlin forbid, someone saw one of the Black children acting childish.

Narcissa guessed that this was probably the reason why she worked her hardest to spoil her only child; which was consequently, the reason why she tried to send daily care packages to him filled with candy and all such things.

Now, though, she shook herself away from such thoughts. She had company to entertain.

"Well, anyways, I told him," said Narcissa, "I won't take any less than imported Albino Spider Silk."

Lady Zabini took a sip of her tea and nodded in agreement, "That silk is so exquisite! It makes for the best material for evening gowns, the way it shines in the moonlight."

"Yes, that's exactly what I was thinking about! So I told him that and he complained at first, told me how hard it was to get and some such nonsense... but I said, do you know who I am? I could buy your entire merchandise right now without batting an eyelash. I don't care about the cost, you will get me that silk or I will take my business elsewhere!"

Lady Zabini giggled with her hand to her mouth in that typical lady-like manner, and Narcissa giggled with her, while thinking of the face of that sputtering merchant.

At the other end of the manor, however, less talk and laughing, and more thinking was taking place.

Lucius walked the isles of the extensive Malfoy Library, and he directed himself towards the back, to a special section that housed many one of a kind books.

He was looking for one in particular, and when he quickly found it, he smirked to himself while caressing the book's cover. This was quite a special book indeed.

Lucius remembered the first time he saw it, so many years ago, while his father had still been alive and in his prime.

"_This is a very special book, Lucius," _his father had told him, _"It's one of the most important books you will ever own. It has been with our family for centuries now, and you will never find this book for sale anywhere"_

Lucius eyes had widened at that statement, and he remembered looking at the book in his father's hands in awe.

A book about the Ten Great Families, of which, the Malfoy family was a proud member. It had been several years now since he had looked upon The Book, and now, as he made his way to the same chair that had been his father's all those years ago, The Book was being held in his hands with great reverence.

Taking a deep breath, Lucius opened the book and flipped the pages slowly and carefully. The immense amount of magic that The Book held was truly amazing, and Lucius could feel it playing at the tendrils of his own magic, so similar, and yet so different.

But of course, according to what his father told him, the book had been made in an elaborate ritual, and among other things, it held the blood of the Families, which was one of the things that made the book special. The Magicks it held made it self-updating, and anyone that held the blood of the Families could be found in the Book.

But, as revered as the history of The Book was, it wouldn't come into play until much later.

Now, what mattered to Lucius was getting to the right place. Once he found the exact middle of the book, he took another deep breath.

"Find me Malfoy", he whispered, and The Book seemed to come to life at these words, the pages filled themselves with letters that formed names, and a low buzz came with it; Sparks of magic flew about The Book, and moments later, it all came to a stop. Lucius went to one of the pages near the end, and he stared warmly at the names at the end of the page.

_Draco Lucius Malfoy Black_, with a thin line that connected him to Lucius and Narcissa; Narcissa's own name was written in a deep red, to denote that she wasn't related to the Malfoy's by blood but by marriage. He stared at all the other names that related to his family, but without really reading any of them.

"Show me Draco Lucius Malfoy Black" he whispered, and immediately everything changed in a shower of magic, and letters that erased and rearranged themselves to form what Lucius asked for.

He went to the beginning of the book, and at the top was Draco's name in a nicely sized and elegant script.

Draco's history was only about a page for now, considering that he's only 11. Lucius skimmed over the information, and read it to himself.

_Born to...showed his first sign of magic at age...started formal tutoring with...at age...received his acceptance letter at age... for formal schooling in...greatest accomplishment to date..._

Everything here had been recorded by magic itself, quite impressive. Lucius sighed in nostalgia, because it always seemed to him that the greatest of Magicks were always the oldest. Nowadays magic was so diluted, and there were so many restrictions and laws due to prejudice and fear, Lucius feared where it would all end.

_This is it,_ he thought, _this is why I follow proudly behind the greatest wizard of the past generation, my Lord Voldemort. _

"Get your act together, no time to dwell on that now... let's see...show me Harry Potter..."

Lucius waited for a few seconds, and then frowned in annoyance when nothing happened.

"Show Me Harry Potter!" he intoned more strongly, and yet the book still did nothing. Now Lucius's eyes narrowed as a sense of foreboding rode his skin. He felt his heart beat faster.

"Find me Potter." he whispered. Now the book did come to life, the shower of light and magic, the buzzing as the letters erased and others took their place. Lucius heart still beat fast.

As the Magicks died down, he found the last page with information, and his eyes went fast to the bottom.

Lucius read _Lily Camellia Evans Potter, _with her name in the typical red to denote her relation to the Potter's by marriage; her name connected in double lines to _James Andrew Potter, _and finally, a line that connected both Lily and James down to their son,

"_Henry James Nathaniel Potter_...wait...what?"

**End of Chapter**

**Please Review!! See you next time!!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chiyoku says: **Hey, all!!! Happy New Year's Eve!!! Sorry for taking so long.....but I've been soooo super busy with College this semester....the good news is that it was my last semester! I'm officially an A.A. holder, now.

Aaand...I have a Canadian girlfriend! We've been going out for about 2 months now...which is yet another reason why I hadn't been working on this story....we met at one of the seminars that my uncle always goes to, she's the daughter of the Director of a Hospital in Alberta. Her name is Olivia and I'm completely smitten!

But forget about all that, I just felt like sharing.

Thanks for all your reviews, and to everyone following my fickie! I hope you enjoy this chapter, I happen to think it's especially long. Call it a New Year's gift, for taking so long to update!

Hope you all like it, and remember to review afterwards!

**Alternation Nation**

**A fanfiction by Chiyoku Shibata**

_**Recap **_

_Father, I have become friends with Harry Potter. He doesn't seem to have had a good childhood. Daphne, Blaise, and myself have been teaching Harry what he needs to know to be proper pureblood, he's a very quick study and eager to please. _

**Chapter 8: Reasons and Feasts**

Harry was sitting at his desk at another boring class of Transfiguration with McGonagall. If there was ever one teacher, besides Snape, who played favorites and didn't try to hide it, it was her. Oh, yeah, she preached that every student was equal in her eyes, but that was a lie. Harry had completed his rat-to-cup transfiguration ages ago, along with Blaise and Draco, who were sitting at either side of him, McGonagall had yet to look at them, however, as she studied the Gryffindor side of the room like a hawk. There was one student in particular that she kept looking at, the Muggleborn (or mudblood, as Draco kept insisting he call her) with the frizzy brown hair and overbite that could crack open a sea turtle. Half an hour into the assignment, and the girl had yet to complete her work; not for lack of trying however, mostly for lack of talent, of course the same could be said for most of the people in the classroom.

Fifteen minutes into the assignment, Harry and most of the kids in his group had already succeeded, with only one minor mishap in which Blaise's cup turned into a hairy, two legged cup that proceeded to run wildly into the Gryffindor side of the room. Draco, of course, quickly summoned Weasley's yet-to-be-touched-by-magic cup and gave it to Blaise for replacement before McGonagall could notice. Not that the professor didn't notice the hairy cup with legs, when it ran into her and almost made her trip, she saw Weasley was missing a cup and assumed it was his and proceeded to rant at him for 5 minutes while the class laughed and the boy turned red and redder.

After thirty-five minutes into the assignment, and twenty minutes after Harry and his friends succeeded in said assignment, the muggleborn, "It's -mudblood- Harry!", finally succeeded and had a dainty silver cup with soft lines around the edges and her name engraved in a circle at the bottom.

"Look here everyone! Miss Granger has done it!" exclaimed McGonagall, practically stealing her colleague's words exactly. "And the beauty of it! 35 points to Gryffindor for your swiftness and talent!"

Daphne couldn't stand the situation any longer and raised her hand, which McGonagall ignored in favor of looking at "Miss Granger" in adoration, until Harry grabbed his thick transfiguration book and threw it into the air, falling, only 2 seconds later, with a loud thump again, back in its place.

McGonagall jumped, and her hair stood on its end, just like a cat, she turned around with her eyes narrowed, but no one said anything, and then she saw Daphne, still with her hand up.

"Yes, Miss Greengrass?"

"Professor, Harry finished his transfiguration first, around 15 minutes ago!"

"Oh...really?" responded McGonagall absentmindedly, "mmmhh... well, I'm afraid I didn't see anything....next time you might want to consider raising your hands? Maybe flagging me down or some such?" she added patronizingly.

Draco wanted nothing more than to cut off that blasted woman's head with the nifty spell his mother taught him; of course, she said it was so he could get apples from the tall trees in the Orchard whenever he wanted, but Draco wasn't stupid.

"Professor, we all saw him finish first," said Draco, "...only you were too distracted by gazing at Granger constantly to notice. With all due respect..." _which is not much..._Draco added to himself, "isn't it your job to notice all students in your classroom and not just one?"

McGonagall almost hissed, having spent so much time in her animagus form spying, made her keep some of her most catlike reflexes. At that point though, before she could react properly and dish out a thorough punishment, every Slytherin student threw decorum aside and chimed in that they all saw him finish first, and surprisingly, even a few of the more loyal BWL fans in Gryffindor came into his defense as well.

McGonagall felt completely startled and betrayed by the Gryffindors who were defending Harry and mentally took down names, she would deal with them later. Then she sniffed in disdain and turned her back to the students, walked to her desk, and turned back, sniffing again and turning her pointed nose in the air, in a way that made Harry remember his aunt Petunia and made him like the professor even less.

"...I suppose 20 points for Mr. Potter are in order then...as I didn't actually see him finish first...despite all of you screaming it at me in a _most_ rude manner..."

After the incident, a couple more students in both houses finished the transfiguration, and then McGonagall gave them assignments for the next class before dismissing them; those who completed the transfiguration were to go ahead and skim through the next lesson in the book and take a parchment long set of notes on it, while those who weren't so successful, had to write down their thought process and compare it with the books instructions, all to see if they could figure out what they did wrong.

Later that day, around two hours after curfew, Harry and the rest of the first year Slytherins were quickly heading to one of the towers where Astronomy was held, a prefect was accompanying them as usual.

The castle was eerily quiet, the moaning of the castle ghosts could be heard in the distance, a weird clanking could be heard just around the corner, and soft snoring came from some of the paintings lining the walls. They all walked quietly, because somehow, it seemed wrong that they would make a sound so late...who knew what could come out jumping at them from the shadows. Harry, ironically, thanked the stars that they only had Astronomy twice a week.

Harry sighed as he remembered that they would be starting Flying lessons early the following day... _we have Astronomy with Ravenclaw, super late on tuesdays...and now...we also have Flying, super early the next day....bloody great...who comes up with this stuff?_ he thought, before an eerie laugh in the air made him bump into Blaise in fright.

"what was that?" he asked in a whisper, grabbing Blaise's arm. Daphne grabbed Draco's hand, while Pansy tried the same, only to have Blaise accidentally bump her into Nott instead. The prefect laughed amusedly at them, "Don't worry, firsties, there's absolutely nothing here to be afraid of except for the occasional poltergeist. The laugh was probably one of them...Peeves is not the only one we have here, just the louder one..."

"O.K....here's where I leave you," said the Prefect when they finally arrived in the classroom located in one of the tallest towers, "I'm gonna go back to patrol the halls, see if I can catch the youngest Weasley again" he laughed sinisterly and left, rubbing his wand in his hands.

The group separated once they got inside, Draco and Harry going to one of the tables that was the farthest away from the teacher's desk. The Professor started the class, and as usual, Draco and Harry started on their work immediately so they could finish first and talk for the rest of the class. Draco knew most of this stuff already, and Harry read the textbook, and he found it pretty interesting, so he learnt it all easily.

Draco finally started conversation, "I was just remembering, back in September, when Gryffindor and Hufflepuff had the first Flying lesson of the year?" he said, Harry laughed, "yeah!" he answered, "Can't believe there's someone as stupid as him....seriously....trying to show off by scaring that Hufflepuff....what was his name?"

"Longbottom....Weasley made him lose control of his broom and the kid ended up cracking his skull open against the castle walls...that was funny."

Harry chuckled, "yeah...didn't he end up in the infirmary for two weeks? I feel kinda sorry for him...he's just a 'puff, you know...got nothing against them, really..."

Draco shrugged, "yeah, well...it was funny cuz Weasley made Gryffindor lose about 60 points in one go, _almost killed a student with your stupidity!!_" he said, while imitating the shrill volume of Weasley's mother, who came directly to school the day after the accident, and proceeded to yell at Weasley in the Great Hall in front of everyone.

"I think he's still serving detention with Professor Snape, isn't he?" asked Harry, but Draco shook his head in the negative, "No, he finished that about two weeks ago, now he's serving detention with Professor Sprout, who's feeling particularly vindictive...I hear she's making him pull weeds! On his knees and with no magic!! Just his bare hands! Like a filthy muggle! What a disgrace...he deserves it! At least Madame Longbottom, the 'puff's guardian, is a declared Neutral, and she has class and money." By the time Draco finished speaking, though, Harry was barely listening, because he was remembering when his own so-called _family_ made him do the brunt work in the garden, by pulling out weeds for hours on end, it made him feel so inadequate, especially whenever Draco mentioned something that muggles did, that any proper wizard would find disgraceful, and he would remember the time he did exactly that.

But then Harry took a deep breath and repeated to himself the same things he tried to remember every time he started feeling depressed.

_This is why I do this...this is why I try so hard, and study so hard....and follow Draco and Blaise's lead on everything...I want to fit in and be accepted...I don't want to be in the receiving end of those insults...not anymore...I had enough of getting ridiculed and insulted by my muggle relatives....then I find out it was all because they were jealous that I could do magic....of course, they're jealous, I mean it's obvious, who wouldn't wanna be a Wizard! _

_That's why I have to study hard, and learn everything I missed out on because I ended up with the Dursleys after my parents died...I can't believe they would consider the Dursley's proper guardians for me in case something happened to them....I'm sorry mother to think this way....but you must have been blinded or something....if you grew up with Aunt Petunia...wouldn't you have known how jealous she was of the magic she could never have? How could you send me to them, mother? I really resent you for that! _

_And father....didn't you have any magic relatives to send me to? You were a pureblood! You should have known better! _

"...Harry?" said Draco as he shook Harry a bit, "You O.K.?" he asked in a worried tone.

Harry smirked, then, as he tried to hide away the feelings of resentment and inadequacy he was bearing. "Just fine, actually, I was remembering how bloody awesome your father was when he used what happened with Weasley to get Dumbledore in trouble. It was great, even though Flying classes got canceled for a month..."

Draco smirked, even though he knew that's not what Harry was thinking about, "Yeah! Now we got top of the line brooms to use! Best on the market! We deserve them, especially with how much we pay of tuition each year! So we're starting Flying lesson in Mid-October instead of early September....who cares! The rest of the students sure wont once they get a chance at those new brooms!"

Harry and Draco smirked at each other and bumped shoulders, then they called the Professor and handed in their assignment.

The next day, their Flying lesson with Ravenclaw went off without a hitch, they practiced calling their brooms, hovering, and they flew around the pitch no higher than 20 feet above ground, nothing really out of the ordinary happened at all. Well, just one thing really, but it wasn't that amazing...the professor complimented Draco, and Harry on their excellent flying and recommended that they try out for the Quidditch team when they become second-years.

After that, they had history again, the only class where Slytherins and Hufflepuffs coexist peacefully, only because they all fall asleep.

Soon it was time for one of the most important hours of the day, mealtime.

Daphne giggled as she discretely pointed towards the Gryffindor table, "look at that!" she said, "our lovable little mudblood is sitting on her own again!"

Pansy, who was sitting next to her laughed openly, Blaise just stared, and Harry and Draco smirked.

"Even the so called _light _wizards don't like her!" said Draco. "Yeah." agreed Harry lightly, _would that have been me? _he thought, _what would have happened if I had gone to Gryffindor? Would I have stayed friends with Weasley instead? _

Harry sighed deeply and stared at Weasley, who was slurping some spaghetti with tomato sauce. The pasta hanging out of his mouth, and sauce dripping down his chin; he almost chocked, and then laughed loudly at something the black boy next to him said. Weasley and those around him turned as one to stare pointedly at Granger, who slid down in her sit and chewed her food faster, while she pretended not to notice.

Harry almost felt sorry for her, mostly because he knew what it felt like to be left out and sneered at. Maybe he could....no, that would be impossible...he knew now how much hostility his friends have against muggleborns. He didn't want to become some kind of outcast in his own house by trying to befriend her...

"What are you looking at?" asked Draco, as he craned his head to try and follow the direction Harry's eyes were staring. All he saw was that Granger girl, sitting on her own, hiding behind a book, almost at the end of the long table.

"Uhm....just....nothing..." muttered Harry, turning away and taking a bite out of his steak and kidney pie.

"Were you staring at that Mudblood? Why?" he asked, as he looked from Granger to Harry.

"...just...thinking how pathetic she looks..." he answered half-heartedly after a few seconds.

Draco smirked, his version of laughing at someone, while Daphne, who was sitting next to Harry, just stared at him with narrowed eyes for a second.

"Here Harry, try some of this! It's very delish!" said Daphne, she wasn't sure why Harry was staring at that mudblood, but nothing she thought up was a good reason, especially with the way he had been looking at her...almost with pity.

_maybe I should get some advice...it wouldn't be good if Harry suddenly decided to develop a soft spot for her...it's not like she's a good person....she's always trying to show up her classmates, acting like she's all that! That's why even her housemates isolate her....she doesn't deserve one ounce of pity! She thinks she's all that because she has magic...she's just some freak of nature. _

Daphne stared hatefully at Granger, before she smiled prettily at Harry and handed him a piece of black pudding. "Try it!" she said with a giggle.

Harry took a deep breath, before taking a bite and chewing carefully, you never knew what you were getting with this girl...

"Not bad...never tried this kind of sausage. What's it made of?" he asked, taking another bite.

Daphne gave him an innocent smile, and answered him, "Blood and fat."

Harry promptly chocked on the piece he was still chewing. Draco laughed at him, and Pansy pulled a face of disgust, she hated black pudding. Blaise took pity on him and handed him a goblet filled with pumpkin juice to wash it down.

"Why, Harry!" exclaimed Daphne with an airy tone of voice, "I thought you liked it!" then she smiled knowingly and stole the rest of it from his plate and finished it herself.

"Ugh...sorry Daphne..." said Harry, then he shuddered, "blood and fat....ugh...sounds like something a vampire would eat..."

"You know," commented Blaise, "I think I read somewhere that it was a vampire who first came up with the recipe."

Harry shuddered again, and took a big bite of his steak and kidney pie to wash the taste down.

_Mission accomplished, _thought Daphne, _I have successfully taken his mind away from that girl. Maybe I should ask for advice from Professor Quirrell, though...he's bound to know a spell or two to charm muggleborns away...like the disillusionment charm used to hide magical things from muggles...or the muggle repelling charm...there should be a muggleborn repelling charm somewhere...maybe he'll know..._

Daphne smiled, a plan forming in her mind, _I'll stay after class on thursday and ask him! This is gonna be great! Granger-free life, here we come! _

After this, time went by pretty quickly, in a haze of classes, assignments, and "how to be a pureblood" lessons. Soon, two weeks had gone by and Halloween had arrived.

"Here Harry, try this!" exclaimed Daphne as she daintily forced an orange mash of something onto Harry's plate. The latter looked at it with apprehension, Daphne always had the strangest taste in food, so one always needed to approach with caution whenever she _suggested _something for someone to try. Of course, he didn't want to hurt her feelings, and these were always the best occasions for him to put into practice some of that diplomacy that Blaise had been trying to teach him.

"What is it, exactly?" he asked with a friendly tone, and a hint of curiosity; none of that disdain and disgust he was actually feeling would ever leak through when dealing with such _delicate _situations.

"Oh, it's only the best thing since Salted Chocolate bars!" Harry shuddered in disgust as he remembered when she forced them, excuse me, _suggested _that they try those bars she got on a care package from her mother. Draco, who was sitting next to him, also shuddered when he heard Daphne's exclamation, he remembered those blasted chocolates all too well; sea salt and chocolate was not something he would have ever considered mixing, and clutching his fork, he stabbed his piece of salmon as if it would help him forget the awful memory of that taste.

Blaise was sitting next to Draco, chatting with an older student about a Transfiguration essay. The random student had claimed to have gotten an O in that particular essay when he had to do it two years previous, and so Blaise was working on the boy, trying to get him to spill whatever it was he did to get that O. Therefore, Blaise was unaware as to what his friends were talking about; he did, however, shudder at one point, as if he should be remembering something awful, but wasn't quite sure what.

Daphne, blissfully unaware of her friends' issues with her _tastes_, continued her explanation of what was sure to be a delicious plate of _something_.... from her point of view, anyways.

"It has mashed pumpkin, and curry, with just a hint of honey and cinnamon to give it that bitter-sweet taste that I find so absolutely delish."

Harry and Draco looked at each other, and shuddered simultaneously as they looked away again.

_Seriously, Curry and Honey?! Who the hell comes up with this crazy stuff!!_ thought Harry as he locked away his instinctive disgust and smiled at the girl who was looking at him expectantly, completely unaware of what he was thinking.

_Or maybe she does know that I hate this stuff and just likes to torture me!!_ he thought.

"Sounds Yummy!" Harry said, and bravely, he grabbed some with his fork and put it in his mouth. Draco looked on with barely disguised fascination. Harry tasted the concoction with not even a look of the disgust he was feeling, expecting the worst. His eyes widened in surprise, "this is surprisingly good!" he exclaimed. Draco's eyes narrowed a bit in curiosity, with just a tad of distrust lurking, "Is it really?" he asked.

Daphne just glared at them, "Of course it is! Why wouldn't it be good?!" she exclaimed. Harry just avoided looking at her and took another bite of the concoction.

A few moments of uncomfortable silence followed, and then a cough. Harry took a sip of his pumpkin juice, and cleared his throat. "Sooo.....is this all you guys do for Halloween, then? Have a feast of various foods all made with pumpkin?"

Several students sitting around him, besides his friends, heard the question and they all looked at each other before a couple of them dared to glare hatefully at the headmaster. Said Headmaster, almost seemingly having heard the question, looked at the Slytherin table with a winning smile and a twinkle in his eyes.

A random older student sitting across from Harry turned from glaring at the Headmaster, and said "It is _now, _especially while we're stuck at Hogwarts with Mr. Worship-my-twinkle over there"

Harry looked at the Headmaster only for a second before turning back to the student, "Why?"

The student sighed deeply, "I never thought I'd say this, but..... muggles are right about one thing, Halloween is the one day of the year in which the veil that separates this world from the OtherWorld is very thin. A wizard worth his magic can use this day to reach across the veil and borrow the shadows of magic from the OtherWorld to perform rituals that would otherwise be almost impossible to do without the extra magic."

Draco decided to also make his knowledge on the matter known, "You see, Harry, the rituals that require a pull from the OtherWorld have been considered powerful Dark magic for decades." he said in a low voice, so as to not be heard by anyone other than his immediate companions. "Now, it's common knowledge for anyone who's lived here long enough that magic is naturally divided into several divisions, Light Magic, Dark Magic, and Neutral Magic. People in our world are born with a natural affinity for certain types of magic. We'll go into detail about that when we're in a more secure location, though." He finished as he looked at Dumbledore, who was now giving them all a look of loathing.

"The point is," he continued, "that no magic is inherently _good _or _evil_. But most of the idiots in our world nowadays don't understand that! Especially with the mudbloods influence, who come into our world with their idiotic muggle prejudice about what's good and evil!"

Blaise, now finished with his talk and paying rapt attention at the conversation, placed a calming hand in Draco's arm, who was getting very riled up by now.

Draco took a deep breath and calmed himself before giving a look at the student sitting across from Harry. The other nodded and continued what Draco was trying to explain. "It's in part Dumbledore's fault that we have so many problems. Instead of teaching the mudbloods how our world works, Dumbledore has been using his influences for years to enact laws that make certain types of magics illegal. In an effort to make them _comfortable_ he has been ruining us all for years! Magics and creatures that used to be respected and admired, now are supposed to be feared and reviled, all thanks to Dumbledore."

Daphne took Harry's hand and made him look into her eyes, "This is not the Natural Order of our world, Harry. All this new laws go against everything that we are!" she said, and then she leaned in closer to him, and Harry could see the honesty in her eyes, and her strong desire for him to understand what she was saying, she took Harry's hand in a stronger grip and whispered to him, only Draco and a couple of other people who were sitting around them could hear what she was saying now, "If we continue in this path that Dumbledore has set for our world, we are heading towards a sure death for us all. This is why so many people followed Voldemort so willingly," she said, and the others sitting around her who heard what she said felt their insides freeze, because who knew where she was heading with this, and to the boy-who-lived of all people! But Daphne continued, either unaware of the thoughts of her classmates or just not caring, "He wanted to restore the right Order of things, Harry. Voldemort wanted to make us free to perform the magic that we were born to do, he wanted to place strict laws for the mudbloods so that all magic doesn't just die due to their ignorance and prejudice!"

Harry looked down, thoughtfully, then he looked up and opened his mouth to speak, but... whatever he was going to say was drowned by Professor Quirrell, who burst into Hall screaming, "Troll! Troll, in the dungeons!!!" before promptly passing out.

That was when chaos erupted, the Hufflepuffs didn't scream, but that was because most of them were frozen in fear, the Ravenclaws where mostly divided with the younger years yelling in fright and the older years speaking in loud voices sharing facts about Trolls and even some already speculating that someone had to help it into the castle, given the stupidity of Trolls. The Gryffindors, for their part, were one of the first to panic. The Slytherins were torn between being frightened and maintaining their cold composure, but soon they realized that no one would notice their fright, given the chaos that was reigning.

"Siiiiilence!!!!" yelled Dumbledore, and everyone froze again and looked at him. Dumbledore proceeded to give out loud and clear instruction, like a general standing in front of his armies, the prefects were to take the students back to their rooms in a calm manner and the teachers had to follow him to the dungeons, except for Quirrell who disappeared in the confusion, and Snape who slipped out through a back door.

After Dumbledore spoke, everyone hurried to follow his commands, like good little soldiers.... or like students obeying their Headmaster, depending on whether you asked the Slytherins or the rest of the school.

Anyways, while three of the houses hurried back to their common rooms, the Slytherins were deciding where exactly they should go, since they couldn't very well go to their common room when there was a chance they would run into the Troll. Finally they just figured they were safe enough in the Great Hall, and they all sat back down to continue their Halloween Feast.

"Anyways, where were we?" asked Daphne in a light and cheery voice, as if they had just been discussing the weather and got interrupted by a pesky pedlar. At her question, though, Harry's little group suddenly remembered Daphne's speech at Harry, and they all turned to look at the boy with serious looks on their faces. Poor Harry just looked at them all, and with an indifference on his face that hid his nervousness, he drank some pumpkin juice, and ate some food.

A minute passed and the Slytherins were undeterred in their quest to find out what Harry thought, so they kept starring at him. Finally, Harry sighed and crossed his arms on the table, leaning lightly against them.

"Two years ago, at my muggle school, there was a transfer student," said Harry, his eyes on the table, "his name was Alphonse, and he was from a small village, south of Germany." Now he looked up and nervously took a deep breath before continuing.

"All his life he'd only been around other natives from his village, and because of this, his view of the world was shaped by what the grown ups believed in. The problem was that my old school has a lot of different types of people, including a couple of Americans, Italians, a small family from a country in mid-west Africa, ...and a couple of Jews as well."

Everyone around Harry was paying rapt attention to what he was saying, wondering where he was going with this. Harry took another breath, and bit his lower lip. _I better explain myself fast, _thought Harry, _before they finally realize I'm not worth listening to._

"Alphonse was very prejudiced against a lot of the people in the class, but the teacher was very open to try to make him feel welcome. To this end she devised a sitting chart that would put Alphonse sitting around people he wasn't so bothered with. At first, no one said anything about this, but soon, Alphonse realized that the teacher was favoring him, so he started protesting more and more against things he didn't agree with, and the teacher kept coming up with rules for the rest of us that would make _the poor boy from the small village feel welcome_"

By now everyone who was listening to Harry realized where he was going with this. And Harry continued fast, "it got to the point where the rest of us started to feel unwelcome, and uncomfortable in the classroom. Some of my classmates complained to their parents, and the parents complained to the Headmaster of our school. Eventually, the teacher was put on probation, and the student was asked to either conform to the classroom or leave the school. Alphonse stayed for another week, before he stopped coming to school.

My point is," finished Harry, "that my classmates and myself had been at that school since the beginning, and when this outsider came and started to change things, we didn't like it and we did something about it. Who did this Alphonse think he was coming in and using his beliefs and his prejudice to make things uncomfortable for the rest of us? But in the end, it was the teachers' fault, because she yielded to his complaints and made rules that took away our freedom and our comfort for the good of this one student. The teacher should have done what the Headmaster did, tell the kid and his family to either accept our school and its students or leave.

I agree that it's unfair to change rules to make outsiders happy, in this case the muggleborns. Just like in my old school, they should either learn how things are run here, and accept it, or leave. We shouldn't have to live in oppression, with our freedom limited, just to please some outsiders who never bothered to learn about our culture in the first place."

Daphne stared at Harry as he finished his little speech, she took his hand and squeezed it in support, Harry returned the gesture and made sure she didn't let go. Draco was so pleased by what Harry just revealed that a small smile broke out in his face. Blaise looked thoughtful, his neutral family policy analyzing the situation and battling his more basics instincts that told him to stick with his friends and support them; he was the only one now, with what Harry revealed, that didn't have a clear place in the coming war.

The other Slytherin students were still shocked at the implication that The-Boy-Who-Lived, of all people, might actually side with the Dark Lord.

After that, everyone allowed the conversation to shift, as they all needed time to think about the situation anyways. They talked about classes, assignments, and Blaise finally got the older student to agree to lend him a copy of his essay from two years ago.

They all jumped slightly, though, when moments later the Great Hall doors banged open forcefully. They all turned as one and stared at Dumbledore, who stared back at them all before his eyes fell on Harry.

"What are you all doing here?" he asked in a neutral tone of voice. One of the seventh years got up, with the prefects getting up with him only a second late, in support of their older classmate.

"After the initial pandemonium caused by the sudden announcement of a Troll being inside the castle, we realized, given that the Troll, according to Professor Quirrell, was in the dungeons, that for the safety of everyone in Slytherin, we would just stay right here." explained the seventh year.

The male prefect cleared his throat softly, and Dumbledore turned to him. "With all the Professors gone, we took it upon ourselves to decide what was best for our house. Heading straight to where the Troll was said to be at seemed foolhardy at best, something only a Gryffindor might do, at worst."

Dumbledore almost growled, but he swallowed his rage and smiled sagely. "Be that as it may, all of you went against explicit instructions from the Headmaster himself, therefore, 60 points will be taken from Slytherin, and a warning will added against both prefects."

Out of instinct, most of the Slytherin's hands were halfway to their wands before they realized it and swallowed their own rage.

"Oh, and before I forget. Harry Potter, I would like to see you tomorrow in my office after breakfast. You will be excused from your first class. That's all." after making his announcement, Dumbledore turned and left the Great Hall again.

Harry swallowed deeply, and exchanged worried glances with his friends. One thing was sure, tonight was going to be a looong night...

**End of chapter~~~**

**Chiyoku says: **Hope you enjoyed that!!! Oh, and for those who were excited to see what that whole "Henry" thing was about.....a big fat "Sorry!" You're gonna have to wait for that, I think I have a great idea, but I'm still working out the kinks, in the meantime, Lucius is still doing some digging to see how it will benefit him.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chiyoku says: **Hey everyone! How you doin'? Listen guys, I know no excuse is usually good enough for taking so long, but in my defense...I was actually sick...I caught an infection and the doctors couldn't figure out how to get rid of it. I was bedridden for a month. I'm much better now, so I finally finished the chapter, and I posted it as soon as I was satisfied with it.

Most of the beginning is Dumbledore on his own...so that was pretty hard for me to write...I was trying to get into his head....but I kept getting lost...lolz.

Anyways, thanks so much for all the reviews!

Enjoy!

**Alternation Nation**

**A fanfiction by Chiyoku Shibata**

_**Recap: "...**no magic is inherently good or evil. But most of the idiots in our world nowadays don't understand that! Especially with the mudbloods influence, who come into our world with their idiotic muggle prejudice..." " It's in part Dumbledore's fault. He's been using his influence to make some magic illegal." "This is not the natural order of our world, Harry. That's why people were so willing to follow Voldemort"_

**Chapter 9: Strength**

Dumbledore grumbled all the way up to his quarters, stopping just twice on the way. Once to burn a portrait currently housing a peasant who had been following him all the way from the Great Hall; the peasant in the painting had been giving him a detailed history of each piece of brick that made up the walls of the castle.

"Ah!" the Man in the Portrait had said, "That one is brick number 3006 of Hall 8. It has a particularly dark history, actually...the man who charmed it together was actually killed with that brick, because his second cousin was in love with his wife." But as the frame started to burn, the poor peasant ran away with a shriek to seek a safe haven with another painting.

The second time Dumbledore stopped was when he ran into Filch, _follow the Slytherin first years_, Dumbledore had said to the dirty caretaker.

"Follow them and make sure to keep an extra eye out on them, I need for them to be caught in the act, otherwise they'll be able to get away with anything. I don't have nearly as much influence in the ministry as I'd like and I don't trust them with our little Golden Boy....oh, and keep me informed of anything suspicious." Filch just nodded and left, his cat following faithfully behind him.

Finally getting up to his quarters, Dumbledore walked across the entrance hall of his extensive rooms, given to him by Hogwarts herself due to his position as Headmaster, of course, and stood in front of an empty wall behind a couch.

Wand in hand, he spelled a small cut to the palms of his hands, and placed them against the wall. The droplets of blood were quickly absorbed by the wall and Dumbledore started murmuring a spell under his breath. A minute passed and a rectangular shaped part of the wall glittered out of existence.

He walked through the newly appeared entrance, and once through, it disappeared once again and turned back into a wall, sealing him in a secret room.

Inside said room, Dumbledore looked around, and walked over to a small bar where he served himself a glass of firewhisky. He took a sip and closed his eyes in relaxation as the taste of the alcohol warmed his mouth and throat.

There were very few things lately, that gave Dumbledore pleasure in his advanced age, being in control of everyones lives and actions was one of them, and a good glass of his favorite aged 1870 firewhisky was another.

He took a sit in his chair behind his desk and wandlessly lit the fireplace. Wandless magic wasn't as hard as it was made out to be, but people had become so lazy and dependent of wands in this day and age. Kind of like muggles and their remote controls...they would be completely powerless if they lost it...would spend hours looking for the blasted remote control....or wand, as was the case with his people, instead of walking over to the t.v. and turning it on by hand.....or as was the case with wandless magic, merely calling up the Will and guiding the energy to a finger.

But all the better for him, he supposed, because it gave people the impression that he was more magically powerful than them...well, he was, actually, but not by a whole lot....the difference wasn't actually in the amount of energy he had, but how he used it.

Some people were just born with the instinct of how to guide the energy in an easier way, making it seem like they were more powerful. While others actually arrived to that point by dedication and training alone.

Speaking of magically powerful people....."ah, Harry....what am I gonna do with you, boy?" Dumbledore asked himself, as he took another sip. Then, setting the glass down, he waved his wand and everything on his desk disappeared to be replaced by several, fragile looking, silver instruments; some were letting out puffs of white smoke every couple of seconds, and others had small bells and spheres that were tolling and hitting against each other in an imperfect interval.

There was a glass sphere in the middle, almost like one of those prof. Trelawney uses in her classes, except it was smaller, and there was a substance inside that resembled a mix of water and black oil, and when Dumbledore placed his hands on it, the liquid inside started to swirl faster and faster until it gave way to an image inside.

Dumbledore concentrated on the image that had appeared in the sphere, and he saw Harry. He was leaving the Great Hall with the rest of the Slytherins. Daphne Greengrass was holding his hand....the chit...as if Harry needed support from her. The only support Harry needed was Dumbledore, but wait, Draco Malfoy was speaking to Harry now...if he could just concentrate he would be able to hear.

Draco's voice came through loud and clear now, from his image in the sphere. _"Don't worry, Harry, we'll get you ready for tomorrow. Dumbledore won't know what hit him once you're through with him. We've taught you enough, and you're a fast learner. Just remember..." _

Harry and his group faded from view now, they were in the common room, and the magic of the sphere couldn't penetrate the walls of the Slytherin common room...blast Salazar Slytherin, was the man a seer? Was that why he couldn't work his magic to spy on the Slytherins? Because the man had _seen _what he would try to do in the future? After all, he had no trouble spying on the Gryffindor's in _their _common room.

But no matter, he had other things to worry about now, like Draco Malfoy. That boy was as arrogant as his father ever was. Seriously, "I won't know what hit me? Hah, that's a laugh. Like I could be outsmarted by a _boy._ By the time I'm through with Harry, he'll feel so guilty about what happened to Granger, not only will he think it was his fault the Troll got into the Castle, but he'll beg me to be switched to Gryffindor to _atone for his mistakes._"

Dumbledore then turned to look at the puffs of white smoke, studying them closely, he concentrated as hard as he could. And as he immersed himself in the smoke, everything around him seemed to disappear and the smoke took shape. It moved, unlike any smoke should, and formed patterns in the air.

Dumbledore appeared pleased by some of the patterns, while he frowned at others. Then he growled and his desk shook. Slamming one hand on the desk, he waved his wand with the other in a violent manner and the instruments disappeared, giving way once again to parchments and quills.

"All the charms and spells are still in place..." he mumbled harshly to himself. "...the seed of fear I planted in the Dursley man has flourished properly...and the block I placed in Dudley is still in its proper place, and fully functioning...of course, he's a bit on the round side because of it.....but with his father being so fat they'll never suspect it..."

Dumbledore got up from his desk chair and started pacing, "so what _is_ it, then? what did I overlook? _why_ is Harry is Slytherin and not in Gryffindor? Merlin! He should have been raised to crave acceptance and love...to crave any helping hand and fear bullying..."

He stopped pacing now, his hands behind his back, and he looked ahead, at nothing, with wide eyes. Realization crossed his features and reflected in his eyes.

"...bullying..." he repeated in a whisper. His eyes turned cold, his lips morphed into a growl, and his hands and teeth started shaking and chattering as his anger grew. He growled out fiercely, and his hands turned white as he strongly held back the need to punch everything in sight.

Then his right hand grabbed his wand faster than he could think it, and he started blasting everything with bursts of fire that he kept conjuring without a word.

"Blasted Malfoy's!!!!! Merlin help them, because I will destroy them all!!!!!" he growled out loudly. Dumbledore then stomped his foot and huffed. "Of _course_ he'd want to befriend the Malfoy brat! How could I miss this! When he saw the well dressed, and clearly high class boy belting out _insults_ to the clearly poor and ill mannered Weasley brat! Merlin, Merlin! I should have seen this coming!"

It was only about an hour later that Dumbledore was finally able to breath deeply, and relax. Everything was not lost, after all, the boy is still young and moldable. His relaxation was short lived when he realized that in his anger he had blasted apart his liquor cabinet, though. So he conjured a bowl of onions, and mourned. Five minutes later, he waved his wand and everything was back to normal...except for the poor, expensive liquor. He'd have to order some more of that...oh well, his brother didn't have a bar for nothing, he would ask him.

On to more important matters, now. He left the privacy of his rooms, and went back to his Headmaster office, where everyone could find him. He sat on his desk and sucked on a lemon drop. He allowed the calming drought they were laced with to take effect and then he opened a drawer on his desk and pulled out a book. He stared at the cover in disdain, it read _property of Hermione Granger, Gryffindor_. The side of the book read _Every Witches' personal daily journal (with basic privacy charms included)_.

He opened it to the first page and read aloud, "...dear diary, I still can't believe I'm a witch...if I hadn't seen proof, I'd have thought I was being fooled...", he turned a couple of pages, and read another entry "...dear diary...I never thought I'd see the day I'd hate someone...but it has happened...I hate the Malfoy brat in Slytherin, he called me a mudblood and all the other students with him laughed...I didn't know what it meant, and then Ronald Weasley explained it to me _it's a really foul name for someone who is muggle-born, some wizards – like Malfoy's family – think they're better just because they're rich purebloods. _That's what he said to me, I cried afterwards because I remembered that Weasley was there with his friends when Malfoy insulted me and no one defended me...I think I hate Weasley, too..."

At this point, Dumbledore closed the book in annoyance and groaned, "ugh..." he said, "spare me the melodrama..." then he threw the book across the room, where it fell conveniently right next to the leg of the chair for visitors. But it was out of sight, and soon he forgot it, and went to his room to retire for the night.

The next morning, Harry yawned widely and stretched as he sat up in bed. It had been a long night...he had stayed up with his friends going over everything they knew about Dumbledore, practicing speeches based on what the man might want with Harry. One thing was sure, Harry was very grateful to his friends.

He got up from the bed, scratched his head, and yawned before smacking his lips in thirst and walking over about a foot and a half to say hi to the snake in the painting. As usual, it was laying by the windowsill, happily drinking in the morning sun. And Harry wondered to himself, _does it actually get tired and feel heat in there? it's possible, I guess.....oh well... _"Good morning!" greeted Harry in a loud whisper, so as not to wake Blaise; the snake opened its eyes and looked at him. "Good morning to you, child."

Harry smiled and then yawned again, "I better go have breakfast...I need to be awake for my meeting with Dumbledore..." The snake slithered up to the chair and stretched on it, all the while looking at Harry. "You will be fine, child. You have learned much in two monthsss, and you have the sssupport of your friendsss and mine assss well. I will be nearby. Albussss isssn't asss clever asss he likessss to believe. Asss it isss your firsst meeting, he will be careful with you."

Harry smiled gratefully, "Thank you for your kind words, it helps."

The snake bowed his head slightly, and then added, "remember it takessss no more than 5 sssecondsss of consstant eye contact for him to be able to sssee into your mind."

Harry returned the slight bow in thanks, "I will keep that in mind, thank you, I'll see you later."

He went to the bathroom, brushed his teeth and got dressed, before Blaise finally awoke. Draco was knocking and walking into their room two minutes later, and they went to meet with Daphne in the common room while Blaise got ready. Turns out Daphne was still fixing her hair, according to Pansy, of course, who was already waiting for them neat and proper, but half asleep on the couch.

A couple of minutes later, Blaise and Daphne both made it down, roughly at the same time. They all went to the Great Hall for breakfast, and Harry had a big cup of coffee with 4 cubes of sugar. Pansy reprimanded him, but Daphne shut her up kindly with the comment, "Harry needs to be as alert as possible for when he sees Dumbledore." And with a smirk, she added another cube to Harry's coffee, who grinned, and drank it down.

"Mmmhhh.......sugar with coffee, my favorite breakfast." he said with a laugh. Pansy, though, huffed and gave him a couple of slices of apple. "It helps wake you up just as well." she said. Harry shrugged and ate them. Then he noticed that Dumbledore was absent from the Great Hall, and he took a deep breath, and looked away. When he turned back, he saw Draco leaving a sandwich on his plate. Harry poked it curiously, and looked at Draco in question, to which the boy coughed once and his pale face turned a light shade of pink, because Malfoy's just didn't do _caring_ so obviously like that.

"It's a Nutella and cherry jelly sandwich. It'll fill you up and keep you alert. It's my favorite, if you must know." he said.

Harry smiled cheerfully, joy filling him, "Thanks, Drake. Sounds great!" he answered. He bit into it with relish and shuddered at the blast of sweetness.

Blaise, meanwhile, just watched the interactions in silence, while he stirred his cereal until the milk turned chocolaty and the cereal turned to mush. Then he ate it gleefully.

They were all interrupted for a short moment when Professor Snape walked up to their table with a paper in his hand, which he handed to Harry with a nod, and a raised eyebrow when he noticed the sandwich. Of course, being Draco's godfather, he knew the implications of the action. Draco must care about Harry more than he thought, after all, Draco is a rather spoiled kid. He'd noticed him making the sandwich earlier, but he hadn't noticed it wasn't for himself. This was an interesting development.

Harry opened the paper, there were two lines on it. He read the first one, _don't accept any tea or lemon drops_, Harry was shocked when the line disappeared after he read it. The other line said, _cockroach clusters, _and this one stayed on the paper. A small map appeared after he read the second line though, and Harry figured it was the way to the Headmaster's office.

Once breakfast was over, Harry followed the map diligently and with slow steps, he got to the statue of the gargoyle mentioned in the map, and he took a deep breath and held it for a few seconds, then he let it out all at once and read aloud the line on the paper, which he figured had to be the password. The statue moved and Harry stepped on the stairs, which started to move on their own, slowly and deliberately, bringing him up.

Harry felt an ominous chill travel up his spine and he shivered. He rubbed his arms rapidly and looked up as the stairs finished their slow ascension.

Ahead of himself he saw a wooden door, it was already halfway open, so Harry walked up to it slowly and swallowed before deliberately straightening his appearance and adopting a serious, but almost expressionless, face. He pushed open the door all the way and walked inside. Dumbledore seemed to be missing from his desk, so Harry walked up to it and looked around, wondering if the man was hiding somewhere...maybe spying on Harry before making his appearance.

The office was sure big, and it was full of, seemingly, useless trinkets. He looked up and saw a series of portraits lined up all behind the big desk. The men in the portraits all appeared to be sleeping in their chairs...all except for one.

There was a man sitting in a big, throne like chair, and he looked almost like a king in that he had a noble countenance. He had straight black hair to his shoulders, his eyes were dark and held an intelligence in them that he had yet to see in the current Headmaster. His robes were a smart green velvet lined with silver etchings that seemed to glitter. Under it, Harry could see the man had a long sleeved grey dress shirt.

Under the portrait there was a plaque with a name and date engraved on it, it read _Phineas Nigellus Black (1847-1925)_.

It was then that he noticed the snake that slithered to rest around the shoulders of the man, Phineas, a former headmaster. It was a very familiar snake, the one that Harry found usually resting in his room. Harry's eyes widened and he smiled, "Hello," he greeted the snake, "what are you doing here?" he asked.

At that point, the man in the portrait, Phineas, Harry reminded himself, looked at Harry with eyes slightly narrowed, and his hands tightened on the arms of the chair he was on. Harry was oblivious to that as he looked at the snake.

"Asss I ssaid before, child. I came to help you. Look under that chair that you're ssstanding by, there should be a book..."

Harry frowned and looked down, and he saw it, "it's there." he said as he looked back up to the snake.

"Pick it up, then. Quickly." continued the snake.

Harry leaned down and picked up the book carefully. He read the cover, _property of Hermione Granger, Gryffindor_. Harry's eyes widened, and he looked at the snake, "I don't understand?" Harry said.

"You should keep that, that girl issn't going to be missssing it anytime ssoon. Put it away in your robess quickly, and don't let Albuss know you have it. When you have time, I sssuggesst reading it carefully."

Harry quickly hid the book in his robes and straightened himself, a second later Dumbledore had appeared from a door in the back of the office, _where did that door come from? _Harry asked himself.

"Ah! You're here, Harry My Boy!" greeted Dumbledore in a light and cheery voice. "Yes, Headmaster, Good morning, sir." answered Harry, his tone of voice trying to intone respect and yet distance, and indifference, as Blaise had instructed him the night before...and made him practice it for an hour before he was satisfied....slave-driver...

"Tea? Lemon drop?" asked Dumbledore as he walked behind his desk and conjured a tea set. Harry remembered the line in the note _don't accept any tea or lemon drops_. "Thank you, headmaster, but I'm afraid I must decline. As you know, I just came from having breakfast in the Great Hall and I'm quite full."

Dumbledore seemed disappointed, but quickly hid it and he sat down. "Please." he said, pointing at the chair beside Harry, "sit down, my dear boy." he added.

Harry stiffened and then sat down carefully.

"Now..." started the headmaster, "...Professor McGonagall has mentioned you've been slightly disruptive in her classes...by finishing your assignments too quickly." he finished saying, before looking down at Harry over the top of his half-moon shaped glasses.

"I must admit...." he continued, "that I find myself disappointed in you, Harry My Boy, I certainly expected better of you."

_Is he frikin serious? _Harry thought to himself, _disruptive because I pick up on the spells faster than the others? That's ridiculous! Disappointed? Hah! This is bull. _

"I'm afraid I don't understand why the Professor would think it's bad that I'm quick. Shouldn't it be a testament to her good teaching that I can understand everything so quickly?" Harry commented, with a practiced confusion in his voice. Then he hesitated, and Dumbledore noticed, "What is it, Harry, my dear boy, you can tell me anything, you know?" asked the man, trying to hide his eagerness, _I've got him now_, he thought.

"Well..." Harry started saying, "Draco's been teaching me a lot about the wizarding world...because...as you probably know...I never even knew I was a wizard before Hagrid came to pick me up..." he continued, and Dumbledore refused to comment on that last thing, _of course I know you were kept ignorant and pliable....after all, it was all my doing, _he thought to himself.

"Go on, dear boy." he encouraged in a soft tone.

Harry took a deep breath, "well, that's just it. One of the first things he taught me was that it's impolite to refer to people by anything other than their last name unless given explicit permission."

Dumbledore raised an eyebrow, _that's it? _he thought _phooey... _he added to himself, in disappointment. "Well, I knew your parents, my boy." responded Dumbledore, as if it justified everything.

Harry stiffened, pursed his lips, and inhaled shortly through his nose. "Well, I didn't!" he exclaimed tightly, then he took another short breath, and continued, "And I'm not sure what that has to do with basic rules of politeness." Harry heard a portrait cough stiffly, as if hiding laughter, and he looked up to see the man, Phineas, looking pointedly at him, but he couldn't see the snake anymore.

"I'm sorry, headmaster. I must sound very blunt to you." Harry added in an apologetic tone of voice, "But I must admit to you, sir, that it makes me uncomfortable when you refer to me by anything other than my last name. Maybe in the future, if we get better acquainted, I might grant you permission to use my first name, but until then...I must ask you to refrain from calling me in such an impolite manner" he finished speaking now. _Not to mention creepy....seriously... _he added to himself with a mental shudder.

Dumbledore, for his part, was very angry. How dare this _boy _tell the glorious and magnanimous Albus Dumbledore _et al and various titles_, that he was uncomfortable with him! Those slytherins were a very bad influence, indeed. Telling Harry about the wizarding world, how dare they? This wouldn't have happened if he'd been friends with the Weasley brat! He'd have been kept as he should, ignorant until Dumbledore saw fit to give him the proper slivers of information.

"Well, my...Mr. Potter...I apologize if I've been making you uncomfortable. We wouldn't want that, would we." he finally said, almost sarcastically, since he couldn't hide completely all his feelings in the matter.

_I must turn this conversation into my favor...._thought Dumbledore to himself. "Now...Mr. Potter...I've... been hearing rumors that...you might possibly know something related to what happened to Miss Granger? She wasn't in the Great Hall when the Troll attacked, I'm afraid..." said Dumbledore, speaking slowly and deliberately, looking at Harry dead in the face.

_Why would he ask me that? _thought Harry, and he felt confused about the question, and also the manner in which it was asked...like Dumbledore wanted to pin something on him...Blaise had told him to be careful when someone spoke to him like that. He decided to just play it safe, then.

"Uhm...who's that, headmaster?" Harry asked, with confusion in his voice. Dumbledore raised an eyebrow at that, so Harry feigned realization coloring his features. "Oh! The , right? yeah...she's that little bookworm with the frizzy hair...I remember now." he said as he nodded his head, while he berated himself for almost calling her a mudblood..._I hope Dumbles didn't notice...not that he's very likely to call me on it, if he did..._he thought to himself.

"Is she missing, or something? She might be holed up in the library, you know. Professor Snape got mad at her last class, cuz we were doing a potion, and it called for water lily sepals, and she almost used petals instead....I guess she misread or something, but Professor Snape said she could have caused an explosion. She was pretty broken up about it, I hear." said Harry in a matter-of-fact tone of voice.

Dumbledore narrowed his eyes, that was a nice dodge to his question. _Who taught him that?_ wondered Dumbledore. "...No...she's not missing." answered Dumbledore, "soo...you have nothing to tell me, then?" coaxed Dumbledore, in a _trust me_ tone of voice, a bit of his magic thrown out for good measure.

And Harry decided to have a bit of fun, a little coaxing of his own. "...well..." he started to answer, thoughtfully, as if he was going to say something interesting, and Dumbledore almost did a victory dance, "...I've been learning lots...so I got quite a bit I could talk to you about...charms, potions...goblin rebellions...you know those guys are a vicious bunch? I kinda like them, they're tough. You know in 1465 when they rebelled against a seaside colony? They would cut the heads of their enemies and put them up in spikes all along the beach, as a warning to seafarers!" he finished excitedly, and Dumbledore almost slammed his head against the desk, and then Harry added "rumor has it, they'd boil the bodies and make stews and pies with them to feast with after each victory! That's just a rumor, though....but it's cool." he finished with an excited nod and a smirk.

A couple of seconds of silence passed, in which Dumbledore felt like stabbing himself with his wand in frustration. And in which Harry laughed himself silly in his head. Then he forced himself to look sheepish, "Oh...but you probably meant to ask if I know anything in specific related to the...muggleborn..., though...right?" he said. Dumbledore nodded almost eagerly, but he tried to contain himself as much as he could, "Quite right, then, Mr. Potter." he said.

Harry nodded sagely, and thoughtfully. And Dumbledore thought he might finally learn something interesting, alas, he's underestimating Harry again.

"Well, unfortunately, I can't help you." answered Harry, "'snot like I'm friends or even acquaintances with her or anything...so....I know nothing...I barely know she exists, if it weren't for the fact that she's very eager to be called on in classes all the time, I wouldn't even know she was there."

Dumbledore pursed his lips and narrowed his eyes. This boy was just...unbelievably frustrating.

"So you didn't hear the rumor that Mr. Weasley insulted her and she missed the Halloween feast because she spent the day crying?" Dumbledore asked in a burst of speech, he just couldn't take it anymore!

Harry shook his head in the negative, "No, sir, I'm afraid I hadn't heard anything." he answered.

"...and the poor girl has been so busy trying to learn everything she possibly can..." continued Dumbledore, "..that she unfortunately managed to isolate everyone around her...so when Mr. Weasley insulted her...everyone just laughed, or ignored it, and no one defended her...poor girl..." he said sadly, looking down and shaking his head slowly and mournfully. He looked at Harry for a second, without bringing his head up, and then he looked down again, and continued in a pained tone of voice, "...if she'd only had at least...one...friend in the noble Gryffindor house...she might not have missed the feast..." Dumbledore took a deep shuddering breath, as if trying not to burst out in tears.

"...she might have known about the Troll that got into the castle...in the panic...everyone forgot her....everyone...but if she'd had at least...one friend in Gryffindor..." he added with emphasis, still with his head down, but looking up at Harry with his eyes only every couple of seconds.

Harry, for his part, almost laughed. _Seriously...playing the pity card? That's low,...and stupid...who does he think I am? If I didn't care about that girl before....I definitely still don't care about her now...I wonder what happened to her, though? Did the Troll attack her? _he thought to himself as Dumbledore finished speaking and went quiet. For good measure, the man brought up a hand to his eyes and brushed away a nonexistent tear. And Harry almost laughed again.

"...so...is she dead?" asked Harry with a curious but a non-caring demeanor.

Dumbledore almost didn't contain a growl of anger when he realized that Harry honestly could care less about Granger. But still, he managed it, and he looked up with sadness in his eyes. "No, my boy....sorry....Mr. Potter" he said and corrected himself when Harry started frowning. _Blast it! _thought Dumbledore, _I thought I might have gotten him to forget by now, that he didn't want me calling him like that..._ "she managed to defend herself against the Troll..." he continued, "when it burst into the bathroom where she was holed up...crying her little eyes out...poor girl..." he finished with a sad sniff, then he continued, "unfortunately, she used too much of her magic...she forced much of it out in her panic and fear...and now she's in a coma. Her awakening....might or might not depend on her magic building up again...but the MediWizards aren't sure yet...they're still running diagnosis on her. I contacted them this morning, and it seems they were up all night with her."

Harry found all this information interesting, yet useless right now...still, he tried to remember all the details just in case Draco can make something of it...maybe his father? Still...

"All this..." added Dumbledore, "could have been prevented had she had just one friend, you know, Mr. Potter? If only there was someone in Gryffindor that could bring them all together..."

Harry mentally rolled his eyes, _I gotta hand it to him....he's one persistent s.o.b._ thought Harry to himself. Then he coughed and got up from his chair, "if that's all...." he said, "...do you think I could go now? First class is finished by now... and I don't wanna miss anything else..."

Dumbledore admitted defeat for the moment, at least. He wasn't gonna get anything out of the boy right now...And he just gave Harry a pass he could keep, to show in his second class, just in case he was late...and to give to his Professor for whatever class he'd had first.

"You can go now, Mr. Potter." he said, and Harry took the note, thanked him and walked out. _Slowly, Harry! _he reminded himself, _you don't want to rush and give him the upper hand by making him think you're trying to escape him, _he added to himself.

Harry almost skipped all the way to his class. He showed Professor Quirrell his pass and went to his seat. Harry gave his friends a victorious look and they returned it happily. Harry had his seat right next to Draco, so when the Professor turned to the board to write something, Harry leaned in close to Draco and showed him the book. Draco's eyes went wide and he smirked evilly. Harry looked around to make sure no one was looking at them or trying to listen, except for his friends.

"You'll be pleased to know," said Harry in a whisper, "that Granger got caught by the Troll last night!" he finished, and Draco's face lit up in glee, "really?" he said, "is she dead?" he asked eagerly.

Harry shook his head, "no, unfortunately." he answered, and Draco almost turned sad, until Harry continued speaking, "she's in a coma!" he exclaimed vindictively. Draco gasped in joyous surprise, and the teacher heard and turned to them. He didn't say anything, but they both got the message and apologized before turning back to their books. Then they exchanged smirks and went back to take notes.

Professor Quirrell ended up giving them the last 5 minutes of class for them to relax and put their books away, so Harry happily put everything away, and then he noticed Weasley sitting close by, he hadn't noticed the boy was so close before...but this merited taking advantage of.

Harry turned to his friends, "watch this" he said to them, and he turned back to Weasley.

"Hey, Weasel!" he called, the boy turned to him and quickly turned red in anger and growled at them, "What!" he exclaimed. Harry smirked, "Heard what happened to the mudblood, yet?" he asked innocently, and Ron was shocked, but he didn't say anything, then Harry continued speaking, "oh, wait!" he said, "You would know, wouldn't you? After all, it's your fault that Granger's in a coma now, isn't it, Weasley!" he finished loudly, and the classroom went quiet as they all heard Harry's exclamation. His friends, and soon everyone in Slytherin, was laughing. The Gryffindor's were in shocked silence, and Ron was looking around in embarrassment and anger.

Professor Quirrell was sitting in his desk quietly, pensive, and he didn't interfere.

"Wasn't my fault! It was the Troll!" exclaimed Ron in his defense, but the Gryffindor's didn't know what to think, the only one's who knew what had happened were Dean and Seamus, who were usually seen hanging around Ron, and they were quietly trying to melt into the background.

"Oh," said Harry innocently, "so Granger wasn't in danger's way because you were ganging up on her?" he said loudly, looking around, everyone was hanging on to his words, even the Professor, he noticed. "These are the mighty lions of Gryffindor? Insulting a -_muggleborn_- for being smart, and not having any friends? Or maybe because she doesn't have magical parents and a thousand brothers, like you? How shameful!" he exclaimed in a mocking tone.

Ron stood up in anger, "How did you hear all this!" he exclaimed.

"You're not denying it?" Harry asked mockingly, and his friends laughed and the Gryffindor's all looked shocked, because it must be the truth that the boy-who-lived was speaking if Ron wasn't denying it.

Ron clenched his fists and growled again. Harry stood up and laughed again, his friends stood up with him. They stood by him quietly, in support, but they didn't butt in, because they realized that this was Harry's battle. It was finally the day when he took control and went out of his way to mock the deserving. Using any information he had on others to his advantage. Today, Harry Potter was a true Slytherin.

"Why, the Headmaster told me, of course!" he said innocently, and Ron looked shocked, along with everyone else in the classroom. Harry continued, "he is so disappointed in you Ronald. Insulting and belittling one of your own like that, pushing her into the face of danger, and not even feeling any shame about it! I just don't know _what _he will do to you." he said all this with a mocking disappointment, shaking his head sadly.

Ron trembled in anger and pulled out his wand, "Eat slugs!" he yelled out, and a light burst out from his wand, heading fast in Harry's direction. Harry's eyes widened and he moved quickly to pull out his wand, but he feared it wouldn't be quick enough. Suddenly a blue light in the form of a shield appeared right in front of Harry, and Ron's spell bounced of it, and turned back to him, hitting him right in the stomach. Harry and his friends all let out a breath of relief, and they turned to Professor Quirrell, who had his wand out.

"Det-tention, Weasley!" exclaimed Quirrell with a slight stutter, "and ff-forty points from Gr-Gryffin-dor! Class is dis-dismissed! Aand, sss-someone walk this stu-stupid boy to the in-infirmary!" he said, and when noticed Ron was now bent over throwing up huge, disgusting slugs.

The Slytherin's all laughed, and the Gryffindor's were all repulsed by Ron, and angry at him, both for losing points...again...and for what happened to Granger because of him.

Ron was left behind as everyone, even his so called friends, abandoned him and his slugs. No one was gonna miss lunch because of Ron's idiocy, that was for sure.

Professor Quirrell pushed him away into the hallway, and Ron slowly tried to make his way to the infirmary.

Harry and his friends were all heading to the Great Hall for lunch, when Daphne decided to stay behind for a moment, "I just need to speak to the Professor about something..." she explained, "No worries, it'll only be a few minutes, I'll meet up with you in the Great Hall, so save me a seat!"

They all agreed, and left. Daphne waited until she didn't see them anymore, and slowly went into the classroom, looking around carefully to make sure no one was spying on her.

She closed the door behind her, and Quirrell, who had been standing with his back to her fixing his desk and gathering paperwork, turned to look at her.

"Yes?" he asked, with an eyebrow raised. She looked nervous, _what does she want? _he wondered, remembering when she'd come to him not long ago..._looking for muggleborn repelling charms _he thought with a laugh.

"Professor...I just..." she started to say, hesitantly; then she coughed and gathered her strength. "I just wanted to express my gratitude." she said.

Quirrell, who was actually Voldemort, as we all know, almost smirked. He knew what she was talking about, the Troll going after the mudblood. Regardless, he couldn't just come out and say it, the walls had ears here.

"Whatever for, Miss Greengrass?" he asked softly, without a stutter.

"The mudblood's out of my way, now. And Harry's back on track." she explained, then she looked around and hesitantly continued, "of course, I know you had nothing to do with it, Professor." she said in a tone of voice that noted she knew the opposite was true. "But I wanted to express my gratitude anyways...I had noticed Harry developing _sympathy _for that _mudblood creature _and we can't have that, now can we. Harry's mine." she finished in a possessive voice, then coughed and almost blushed at how much she had inadvertently revealed.

Quirrell, _Voldemort_, smirked and slowly walked up to her. Leaning in close to her he whispered, "Anything for a fellow Dark Witch or Wizard, of course." and his eyes turned red for no more than an incriminating second, Daphne's eyes widened and she gasped.

Quirrell straightened and walked away, back to his desk. He leaned against it and he looked at her. Daphne was looking at him in awe and it was clear she had understood who Quirrell really was...or she suspected at least, it's not like the man came out and said it...but...only one wizard she knew had red eyes. "I shall trust your discretion in the matter, Miss Greengrass." he said lightly.

"Of course!" she answered quickly.

Quirrell almost smiled, "you better head off to lunch, then." he said.

"Right..." she said, "see you next class Professor!"

Then she practically ran out of the room, and headed quickly to have lunch with her friends. She calmed herself so they wouldn't notice anything, but Blaise still realized something had happened, so she looked at him and smiled, and Blaise understood that nothing bad had happened.

The rest of the time during lunch went by in a sea of gossip, as word spread about the events between Harry Potter and Ron Weasley. The Gryffindor's, fickle creatures that they are, were already shunning Ron as they all found out how he aided in their classmates misfortune; fortunately for Ron, he was still throwing up slugs in the infirmary, so he missed all the nasty talk by the Gryffindors directed at him. The Hufflepuffs, for once, were showing anger, because they couldn't understand how someone could be so evil to one of their own. The Ravenclaws were heatedly exchanging information and facts, while the Slytherins were happily, and inwardly, laughing at Ron and giving praise quite loudly, to Harry.

Dumbledore sat seething, and one could almost see the smoke rising out of his ears. He had to get this under control...before the ministry, or worse, the press found out. He could see the Malfoy brat rapidly scribbling a letter, probably to his father, and Dumbledore realized he had to act quickly.

**End of chapter~~~**

**Chiyoku says: **I hope you liked the chapter! And I hope I conveyed what I wanted to say right! If not...someone'll probably let me know...kindly, I hope? lolz


	10. Chapter 10

**Chiyoku says: **Hey guys! Sorry I took so long.....---laughs uncomfortably---....I won't bore you with the details of my busy life....but to make up for it, this is my longest chapter to date! yay me! XD

I hope you're liking it so far, and if you don't like it....well....why are you still reading?

But to those of you who are enjoying it, Yay! I'm glad you like it! Whether you guys know it or not....I always take every review seriously, and any critique to heart, even if I don't always agree with it. So feel free to critique away! As long as it's not a flame, you know? Cuz those just don't help anyone.

Oh, on a quick general note, **if you're not one to read A/Ns read this one! **This is **not** going to be a slash story, so, sorry to those of you who were hoping for some Harry/Draco action or something. I'm pretty sure there's not gonna be any "action" so to say, for a while....I just....Harry's 11, I'm 20....it's awkward to think of little kids snogging and going at it...XD

And if you've been paying attention to the little things, keep at it! And some point or another, they will come into play.

**Enjoy!**

**Alternation Nation**

**A fanfiction by Chiyoku Shibata**

_**Recap: **"All the charms and spells are still in place..." mumbled Dumbledore harshly to himself. "...the seed of fear I planted in the Dursley man has flourished properly...and the block I placed in Dudley is still in its proper place, and fully functioning...of course, he's a bit on the round side because of it.....but with his father being so fat they'll never suspect it..." _

_Harry leaned down and picked up the book carefully. He read the cover, property of Hermione Granger, Gryffindor. Harry's eyes widened, and he looked at the snake, "I don't understand?" Harry said. _

"_You should keep that, that girl issn't going to be missssing it anytime ssoon."_

_"Professor...I just..." she started to say, hesitantly; then she coughed and gathered her strength. "I just wanted to express my gratitude." she said. _

_"Whatever for, Miss Greengrass?" he asked softly, without a stutter. "The mudblood's out of my way, now. And Harry's back on track."_

_"Anything for a fellow Dark Witch or Wizard, of course." and his eyes turned red for no more than an incriminating second, Daphne's eyes widened and she gasped. _

_Dumbledore sat seething, and one could almost see the smoke rising out of his ears. He realized he had to act quickly._

**Chapter 10: Schemes**

Dumbledore growled out and threw the Daily Prophet on his desk with disgust and anger, the pages scattered. McGonagall, who had been summoned just moments before, gave out a startled gasp while putting her hand on her heart. Even after all this years, she was still not used to Albus Dumbledore's sudden bursts of anger.

She put her hands on her lap daintily, and slowly glanced at the cover page of the Sunday edition of the Daily Prophet; her hands flew up to cover the loud and shocked gasp that escaped her after she read it.

Glaring up at her in bold print read the title and subtitle: **Lord Malfoy Rallies Behind Muggleborn-- **_**Headmaster Dumbledore keeps quiet.**_

McGonagall almost fell out of her chair in her haste to grab the cover page. Dumbledore turned to her and stared as he waited for her to read it, his magic going wild and making smoke literally come out of his ears in anger.

"_In a shocking move, Lord Lucius Malfoy announces his support in favor of young muggleborn student, Hermione Granger." _McGonagall read aloud, "_The student, a bright young Gryffindor, just starting in her first year at Hogwarts, was left in a coma after being forced to defend herself against a forest Troll. The teachers were nowhere to be seen at the time of the incident." _

McGonagall jumped from her chair, knocking it over. "Albus! This is a disaster! What are we going to do?"

Albus clenched his fists behind his back and stood taller then ever, his anger giving him power. "That's not all." he said, "keep reading."

McGonagall frowned in alarm, there was more? what could be worse? she glanced down and kept reading, "_The incident came to light thanks to a brave group of... _Slytherins!" she finished loudly, looking up at Dumbledore with wide eyes. Then she looked down again when Dumbledore said nothing and, so she kept reading, this was getting worse by the second, what a scandal for Hogwarts! "..._when it became obvious to them that ''...the Headmaster had no intentions of coming forth with the occurrence.'' We were unable to reach Headmaster Dumbledore for comment on the accusation."_

Dumbledore growled when McGonagall read the last part, of all the times for him to be unreachable! He had been spending some time in his brother's pub, the Hog's Head, getting any gossip that might be of importance for him to know. And, of course, he was replacing the bottles of very expensive wizard liquor he'd broken.

He'd never liked for people to connect him with _the seedy owner of the Hog's Head_, even if the man was his own brother. It would be bad for his reputation as a Champion for the Light, especially considering the squalid appearance that the pub was kept in...something his brother was actually extremely proud of, saying he'd worked very hard –_ironically-_- to make it look like that.

Of course, the fact that it benefited him was besides the point. Still, no one who knew that Aberforth was his younger brother, knew the real reason why he kept it secret. He'd told his brother it wouldn't be convenient because he had many enemies, and it was also a good way for his brother to get information that Albus might otherwise have trouble getting.

All reasons for keeping the connection secret were true. It wouldn't work at all for Albus if people knew, especially because Aberforth would most likely lose most of his customers, along with most of the gossip that the customers brought with them and often let lose after a couple of pints of ale.

McGonagall kept reading the article, not noticing, or perhaps disregarding, Dumbledore's inattention.

"..._The incident happened on the night of All Hollows Eve....11-year-old Hermione was crying her eyes out after being insulted for "being a very smart, and helpful muggleborn," _clearly an act of prejudice!" finished McGonagall in shock. She huffed in annoyance of how ridiculous that sounded, prejudice in Gryffindor? Preposterous! Now, Slytherin, on the other hand...

"Are you listening to this rubbish, Albus? Prejudice! Listen to this! _Sources inside the school, say that Hermione was verbally attacked by non other than fellow Gryffindor Ronald Weasley. The student in question, is the sixth son of outspoken muggle-lover and self declared fervent light wizard, Arthur Weasley._"

"Yes, I read it, Minerva." said Dumbledore as he finally sat down and tried to relax enough so he could think. He could still salvage the situation, it would just require some finesse on his part. Then he heard McGonagall gasp again, and he looked at her. She looked back at him, shock reflected in every part of her face.

Dumbledore raised an eyebrow in question. Minerva spoke up again, "did you read the whole thing?" she asked, pointing the cover page to his face. Before he could answer, she looked down again and continued reading, her voice fast and with a slight fear to it.

"_Arthur Weasley, who is known for working in the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts office in the ministry, is also known for being a loud devoted follower and supporter of Albus Dumbledore. _

_In light of the incident, the people are left to question whether Arthur Weasley's love for all things muggle is just a front. And also, if esteemed Albus Dumbledore might also share this view of prejudice against muggleborns. If the son and friends of a supposed extremist of the light is seen being prejudiced towards a muggleborn girl, we should probably question what exactly is being taught to our young at Hogwarts._"

Dumbledore sighed in annoyance, he'd already read the whole thing, obviously, otherwise he wouldn't be quite so angry. But Minerva could be slow on the uptake at times. The article was troubling, all the more because it wasn't written by Rita Skeeter, who's famous for exaggerating and altering the truth.

"And that disgusting dark wizard Malfoy! Using this incident to his advantage!" exclaimed McGonagall, "listen to what he said!" she exclaimed, " _Every magical children in the world is important to me. And they all deserve to feel safe when they go to school._"

Dumbledore had to give credit to Lucius, that was well played. And the public was eating it all up, most likely.

"This is completely and utter rubbish, Albus! Lucius Malfoy doesn't care for anyone but Lucius Malfoy! ...and maybe his son, but only because he's his only heir..." said McGonagall in anger, shaking the cover page in her hand with abandon. "We have to do something!" she exclaimed loudly.

Dumbledore strummed his fingers against his desk, and then grabbed a lemon drop from a silver bowl. He played with the lemon drop, turning it between his thumb and middle finger, he frowned pensively, looking at it, and yet beyond it. He sighed softly, "I'm guessing you haven't gotten to the part where Harry Potter gives an exclusive about the situation to the Prophet?"

McGonagall almost choked on air at that, and she fell over herself to look over the cover page. Her eyes flew right through each word fast, skimming the text, she saw a comment by the Minister, but she didn't read it, and yet another comment by Lucius Malfoy...something about taking over some of the reins from Dumbledore...right, like that could ever happen...she huffed and kept skimming....there!

She straightened herself and read aloud, "_The Headmaster called me to his office the morning after the Halloween incident...I couldn't understand why...he's just my Headmaster, after all...nothing more...He called me up and told me every little detail about the unfortunate incident with poor Ms. Granger. I don't know why he would tell me of all people....but it's suspicious...it almost felt like he wanted me to feel guilty about it. But why should I? It was the Troll who hurt Ms Granger, and it was the teachers who failed to protect her."_

Before Dumbledore could offer McGonagall his biased and opinionated thoughts on the matter, or rather, how he regretted trying to guilt Harry into joining Gryffindor; but still how could that brat even think he has the right to tell the blasted newspapers what happened in the privacy of his office. He really had not counted on the fact that Harry really was a fast learner, as the Malfoy brat tended to boast. Apparently those slimy Slytherins had taught his precious Golden boy a lot more than would have been safe for him to know.

Really, if it was up to Dumbledore, Harry would have never learned anything at all about the wizarding world besides what the teachers taught and whatever Dumbledore himself would tell him, but things had a way of getting out of control rather quickly...At least he could count on the Dursley's to do what he asked them to, or rather, _to do what he forced them to do_, with the help of a great number of permanent potions, and well placed charms. Really, if only Petunia could remember that at one point she'd been thinking of fixing things between Lily and herself, that could not do at all.

But before he could voice any of his thoughts to his loyal pet Minerva McGonagall, a charm went off alerting him that Severus was now going up the steps to his office.

Dumbledore counted to himself the seconds it would take for Severus to make it to his door. Everyone had patterns, after all, Severus could be counted on never being patient enough to wait for the stairs to bring him up, so Dumbledore knew it took the man about 8 seconds from the moment the charm alerted him, to when the man was at the door. Minerva took 15 seconds, and 12 seconds on the days when a portrait would alert him of an incident between a Gryffindor and a Slytherin.

It tickled Dumbledore silly that no one ever knew how in the world he knew someone was at the door, and the reaction was even better when he said the name of whoever was walking up to his door.

"Come in, Severus." he said when the man stopped by the door, about to knock, but never quite managing it before Dumbledore called out to him.

Severus Snape walked inside, and looked around for a moment, assessing the situation. Minerva was sitting on a chair, with a page from the Daily Prophet in her hands. She had a shocked look on her face as she looked at the page. He'd already seen it, of course, which was why he was here now.

He noticed the rest of the pages scattered on Dumbledore's desk, and realized the man had already had the expected fit of anger, so Severus felt safe. After Dumbledore had fits of anger, the man usually went into _thinking mode_, where he carefully analyzed a situation and decided what he'd do. Severus had tried to carefully time his entrance, because it wouldn't do at all to come into the man's office right in the middle of his anger, as the man would have blamed everything on Severus, and that just wouldn't do at all, it would have ruined his whole Sunday, the one day of the week when he didn't have to withstand the whiny brats.

"I read the article, Albus." he stated, as he stood there in the middle of the office, expressionless. Albus gave him a calculating look, "Did you know about it?" he asked. Severus snorted, "of course not, Albus, they obviously did it in secret. They probably knew I would have had to tell you about it if I knew, and thus, didn't ask for my advice or help; still, they managed it well enough."

Albus gave him another look, over the rim of his half-moon glasses, "Do you approve of what they did, Severus?" he asked.

Severus returned the look, "You know I do, Albus." McGonagall turned to him with a shocked look. "How dare you! You traitor!" she exclaimed, "To turn on Albus like that!"

Severus' eyes danced with laughter as he stared back at McGonagall, but the rest of his face remained expressionless. "I didn't actually do anything, you know?" he answered in response to McGonagall's exclamation. Then he turned to Albus, "besides, I approve of it merely as an action worthy of Slytherin house. When you, Albus, didn't immediately go to the ministry or the press with what happened, they took advantage of it. You shouldn't have waited, Albus, they beat you to it." he finished saying.

Dumbledore looked away, "I wasn't expecting this to happen." he said, and Severus snorted again, "Don't tell me you expected the students to keep quiet, did you?" he said. Dumbledore looked back only with his eyes, and looked away again after three seconds.

Severus smirked, with some incredulity and growing realization showing on his features , "You did, didn't you! That's why you didn't report it right away! You didn't expect that the students would tell!"

Severus shook slightly with repressed laughter, and Dumbledore refrained from covering his face with his hands in embarrassment. McGonagall just watched the interaction between the two quietly, because now that Severus had explained himself, she had to admit he made sense. If Albus had only come out with the whole thing right away, he'd have been able to use the ministry and press to his advantage, but due to inaction, and some stupid thinking, he now looked like he'd been trying to hide something, and he looks bad!

_Really, _thought McGonagall, _how he ever thought that the students wouldn't immediately write letters to their parents about a bloody Troll entering the school escapes me completely! _

"Really, Albus," said Severus, "that's some rather slow thinking on your part. A Troll attacks the school, and you didn't think the population of Hogwarts would want to tell their parents?" he shook his head slowly, as if he was a parent disappointed in his slow-witted child.

"I mismanaged the situation, Severus" bristled Albus, "I think in my more than one hundred years of living, I'm allowed a mistake or two."

Severus gave a smirk and a snort, while McGonagall rolled her eyes. Dumbledore gave a small cough that called for silence and attention, and McGonagall immediately turned to stare at him, at full attention, while Severus just stared in a _get it over with already _manner.

"Regardless, I still have what you would call _an ace in the hole_. Even if I wasn't planning on having to use it so soon." said Dumbledore in a mysterious voice, with his hands crossed on his desk.

Severus narrowed his eyes in suspicion, while McGonagall smiled in anticipation. Whatever it was, they both expected it had something to do with Harry Potter.

While Severus never liked James, he had actually come to like Harry, especially because he'd become friends with Draco and his group; the boy didn't act like an arrogant, and reckless Gryffindor at all. On the contrary, he was quiet and observant, much like he himself had been, he was also a quick learner who was lately starting to come into his own while showing Slytherin pride and careful thinking, he wasn't that quick to react to provocation, much like Lily in that regard, actually.

On the whole, Harry Potter, despite the unfortunate last name, was actually very much like Lily Evans. From the moment the boy had been sorted into Slytherin, much like Lily had been, Severus had immediately started finding Lily Evans in him.

And, if he was honest with himself, he was starting to doubt that all his feelings towards James Potter were realistically accurate. Not that he'd ever admit it out loud, but seriously, if James Potter really had been the quintessential Gryffindor, as Albus liked to point out every other day, then the man would have never considered attempting to win over Lily; muggleborn or not, Lily was a Slytherin, and James Potter was a Gryffindor. If the man really had been everything he'd come to believe when he was younger, then the man would have never wanted to go out with Lily so openly, let alone marry her, no matter how good looking she was.

This deserved more analyzing, but for the moment, Severus turned his attention back to Dumbledore, who was slowly pulling out a parchment from one of his desk drawers. The parchment was folded, and it looked like it had writing on it. On more careful inspection, as Albus unfolded it with a conniving look on his whole countenance, Severus noticed the parchment had enchantments on it. Of what nature? he couldn't guess, but Severus did guess that both him and Minerva would be finding out pretty soon what information the parchment actually contained.

Dumbledore unfolded it completely, and straightened it. Then he cleared his throat, and read aloud, "_Authorization for permanent magical guardianship of minor._" then he gave both teachers, and followers, in front of him a half smile, and a raised eyebrow, and turned the parchment so they could both read it themselves.

Severus quickly waved his wand and the parchment floated in front of them, so they could both read without trouble. He had a very bad feeling about this.

He read the first few lines of the parchment, this was not good at all:

" **Authorization for Permanent Guardianship of Minor**

_**Child: **_

_**Full Legal Name**__: Harry James Potter. __**Date of Birth:**__ July 31__st__, 1980. __**Gender:**__ Male. _

_**Parents: **_

_**Father: Full Legal Name:**__ James Potter. __**Date of Birth**__: March 27th 1960. _

_**Mother: Full Legal Name**__: Lily Potter. __**Date of Birth: **__January 30__th__ 1960._

_**Guardianship Beneficiary: **_

_**Full Legal Name: **Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore **Date of Birth: **August 2nd , 1881. **Gender: **Male_

_**Instructions for signing: **_

_**Place wandtip over designated space below for magical signature, cast the Signature spell without moving wand from place. In case of Child under the age of 5, place child's left or right thumb over designated space and cast the Baby Signature spell directly over the thumb, keeping child in place. (Baby Signature spell may only be cast by the Father or Mother)**_

Severus stared at the spots where the magical signatures were supposed to be, his hand went up and he lightly touched the place where Lily's signature was...there was something about it that made his internal senses shout at him. But what? It had been a while since he's been exposed to Lily's magic, so he couldn't be sure; he frowned in suspicion as his fingers slightly tingled from the magic in the paper. Then he took a deep breath and decided to think about it later. He never noticed Albus staring at him with a weird look in his eyes.

"So, Albus," said Severus, "what are you planning to do with this, then?" he asked, pointing with his head at the parchment, still floating between them.

Albus almost smirked as he grabbed the parchment again, "I'm going to force my ward to switch to Gryffindor, of course."

The sorting hat, laying on a bookcase, observing the proceedings, started laughing. But as Albus and the two professors turned to it, it went quiet and looked another way.

Phineas Nigellus Black, still sitting in his throne-like chair in his portrait, lifted an eyebrow, and his hold on the chair seemed to tighten. He would make sure this information reached appropriate ears.

McGonagall almost did a little jig right then and there, she was just extremely happy right now. With Harry in her house she would shower the boy with points and finally steal the house cup from the clutches of the evil Slytherins.

"Thank you, Albus! Thank you!" she exclaimed earnestly, jumping a bit on her heels and clapping her hands once.

Snape's lips turned white from the strength he was putting on them. He coughed once, and sighed, to try to cleanse himself of the murderous intent that was plaguing him. "What are your other plans for the boy, then, Albus?" he asked, finally, as he sat down.

Albus sat down as well, followed by McGonagall. "Well," he started responding, "after I switch him, I plan to make Harry apologize to the Weasley brat and beg for the boy's friendship."

McGonagall squealed in delight, and clapped her hands again, she sighed in happiness. Albus smiled at her indulgently.

"Apologize?! What, in Merlin's name, is the boy supposed to apologize for!" exploded Snape, not able to contain his anger any longer. There's no way he was in agreement with any of these outrageous things that Albus wanted to do, but there was little he could do to prevent much of it from happening; but if there was one thing he wouldn't stand for is Albus trying to force a "friendship" between the redheaded menace that is Ronald Weasley and one of his snakes, not matter that the snake in question was Harry Potter.  
Harry Potter had, after all, befriended Draco and his little group, fit in well with them, and from what he'd seen of the boy lately, he was quickly learning and putting into practice everything that Draco (and most likely Lucius, through Draco) had taught him.

...speaking of Lucius, he'll probably need to try to contact the man and let him know what Albus plans to do...after all, Lucius has a lot of influence in the ministry, almost more so than Albus, because Lucius has influence with important people that don't like Albus at all. Albus mostly has influence with the "little people" of the ministry....people with menial jobs, like Arthur Weasley.

But regardless, if Albus is really Harry Potter's guardian...there's not much that even Lucius might be able to do. Still, it doesn't mean Harry can be forced to befriend people he doesn't like, it just doesn't work like that. It'll be interesting to see the boy's reaction...

"Severus..." started saying Albus, "the boy must make proper friends. And due to recent events..." he said, dropping the newspaper cover page on the desk, "I've come to realize that changes must be made faster than I had planned. Of course...I never counted on Harry deciding that he'd rather be friends with the high class stuck-up pureblood, rather than the low class and modest pureblood."

Severus smirked, "from what I hear, the Weasley brat was literally drooling when he saw Potter's galleons on the way to school on the train....aaand, he practically snatched Potter's snacks from his hands...I don't suppose his tactlessness fell in well with the boy, after all, I hear he only found out he was famous to us after Hagrid picked him up. It seems to me, Albus, that...however unintentionally...everything you made me believe about the boy was a lie. He may look like his father at first glance...but only in his glasses and his dark hair...other than that, the boy is proudly resembling his mother more and more each day." Severus finished his mini-speech, and smirked widely, it seems Albus never expected his little follower to speak out so candidly.

McGonagall was bristling like a cat, almost baring her teeth and "claws" at him, while Albus looked very stiff and serious. "How...daring...of you to speak out so boldly...Severus." he said in a hard voice. Severus merely chuckled a bit, with his mouth in a smirk, "I merely speak facts, Albus. In fact, now that I think about it, it doesn't seem like Potter was confident at all, does it. Compare his personality now, with the way he was when he first got here...it's really telling, in my opinion, he's really nothing like James at all. Which, of course, reminded me that Petunia, Lily's sister, always hated that her sister was magical and she wasn't...and eventually that hate for her magic, turned into hate for Lily; And you, Albus, implied again and again, that Potter was treated like royalty by his family....now I dare think he wasn't...after all, that deep seated hate and envy doesn't just go away...I've known Lily and Petunia long enough to guess that much...and seeing Harry Potter all this time....from the moment he came into the school....got chosen for Slytherin and befriended Draco...I've come to realize that he is just so much like Lily, there's no way Petunia could have ever gotten over her hatred for her by seeing him every day."

Severus finished speaking and just stared at Albus without any expression that revealed his true feelings. Albus was trying to contain his anger, because now that he knew that Severus had knowledge on how Harry was really like, he knew Severus would no longer confuse Harry for James. All that work, wasted. All that effort he put on, subtly making it seem like Harry was treated like a god on earth...wasted. All his careful plans, to make Severus hate Harry and treat the boy like rubbish...all of it gone. Now Albus knew that Severus would be treating Harry the same way he treats all his other snakes....nicely...ugh. Just the thought made Albus want to puke.

"Out! Both of you!" Albus yelled out suddenly, waving out his arm, just as a king would when waving away his subjects.

McGonagall and Snape both hurried out. And Albus once again exploded, but this time it wasn't in the privacy of his hidden office, and Phineas Black, from his place on the wall, was careful to pay attention to everything that Albus was yelling in his anger.

Much of it was useful information that he would eagerly relay to the proper ears.

"Ok, listen to this one!" exclaimed Blaise, as he burrowed into the couch in the common room. Harry was sitting next to Blaise, in the middle of the couch, and Pansy had stolen Daphne's spot next to Harry. Draco, as usual, was sitting on his own, while Daphne sat in an armchair she'd borrowed from another corner of the common room.

Blaise had a small book in his hands that he was reading from, and they were all listening attentively, Harry more so, since most of these things were new to him.

Blaise continued, "_Magic is colored by the intent of the practitioner. Human nature being what it is, most magic therefore tends to be __**gray.**__"_

"That makes sense," commented Draco, "after all," he continued, "you could just use a tickling charm on someone until they just died from being unable to breath properly."

Harry's eyes lit up, "Or!" he said excitedly, "one could just use a strong summoning charm on someone, and take their heart. They'd die instantly."

Pansy eyes lit up as well, in excitement at the prospect of summoning a couple of mudblood's hearts, she looked at Daphne, who had a similar look on her face, and they both giggled.

"That's so creative, Harry." exclaimed Daphne, and Harry glowed from the praise. Draco nodded in agreement with Daphne. "I have another one!" added Draco. "If you use a drying charm directly in someone's mouth, it'll probably just dry their insides, which means, _goodbye blood, _and goodbye life." he finished with a smirk.

Blaise rolled his eyes, and interrupted, "which brings me to the next part in the paragraph, guys." he said, and they all looked at him expectantly, so he continued, "_Those who practice magic for selfish ends and malevolent purposes can be __**dangerous enemies.**_ Especially if they're as creative as you two!" he finished, pointing at Draco and Harry, who glowed again and smiled in amusement, they all laughed a bit.

Blaise then looked back down at the book, and frowned a bit, "but look at this part, _If someone uses a hex or a curse on you with the intent to harm, it is best to never be tempted to retaliate in kind- this would simply be delving into what's commonly referred to as the __**Dark Arts, **__and it will lead you into a path away from the light, and deep into a state of fear and pain._"

Harry frowned, "didn't the book just state that all magic is basically gray, and it's us who make it good or evil? Now it wants to classify it? Besides, as the muggles say, _the best defense is a good offense_, which in this case would mean that if someone wants to harm me, tries to harm me or even plans it, the best thing would be to actually retaliate in kind, or in a similar manner."

Daphne nodded, "I agree, Harry. The book seems to suggest that if someone places a hex or curse on us that we shouldn't do anything to the person who did it....I'm sure even Gryffindors would object to just take it lying down."

Pansy scoffed, "The 'puffs might just cry, if it happened to them, the author must be a former 'puff"

Draco huffed, "Yeah..." he said dismissively, "so, hey, Blaise? What else is there in that book?" he asked, and Blaise just rolled his eyes and held the book up, "lots of stuff" he answered. Now it was Draco's turn to roll his eyes. "I know, genius. I meant...what else is there in there that's actually interesting!"

Blaise huffed, and kicked Draco lightly as he looked down at the book again. Draco ignored the kick, and just got more comfortable.

"Well...there's interesting stuff about vampires...and there's a whole chapter on possession..." said Blaise, in answer to Draco's question. Daphne, though, looked up at Blaise quite sharply when he mentioned possession.

"The chapter on possession is actually one of the reasons why I asked my mother to send me this book." added Blaise, looking first at Daphne, and then at Harry. Blaise, then, made a motion for everyone to huddle close, and he whispered, "I think Professor Quirrell is possessed."

Daphne chocked on her own saliva and started coughing loudly, leaning back from the group. Harry looked at her in shock and concern, and he quickly offered her some water from a bottle he conveniently always had with him.

Before Blaise had a chance to keep speaking about his theory of Quirrell being possessed, though, they were interrupted by a young looking girl, probably a third year, who was clutching a newspaper in her hands and biting her lip in nervousness.

Harry looked at her, and noticed how nervous she was, "Can we help you?" he asked kindly, and the girl coughed once and brought herself up straight, gaining strength.

"I...was wondering...if you would sign my Daily Prophet?" she asked. Harry and his group looked shocked, and they looked at each other. The girl almost looked nervous again, and looked around for a second, noticing other students were paying attention.

"It's because I thought it was so cool what you guys did! In one article, you made the Headmaster look bad, you made Gryffindor look bad, aaaaaand! You actually made Slytherin House look kind of like the heroes! I'm gonna be framing this article, now, and I figured, why not get the people who made it happen to sign it? If...if you guys agree, of course...." the girl explained, first speaking fast, loud and enthusiastic while the rest of the students who were paying attention now nodded in agreement with her, then she finished hesitantly and extended her hands so as to hand over the newspaper to one of them.

Draco puffed up in pride, and took the newspaper from the girl's hands. "Of course, anything for a fellow Slytherin." he said, and then signed it with a flourish with the girl's quill. He passed the paper to Blaise, and then Harry, who found it weird, but as long as his friends were all signing too, it was alright.

The girl grinned at them, "thank you!" she said, and quickly went back to her sit on the other corner of the common room, where her friends were waiting for her.

"So," said Draco once the commotion had ended, "what's that you were saying about Quirrell being possessed?" he asked. Harry nodded in enthusiastic agreement, while Daphne nodded with a nervous tick, so as not to appear too suspicious.

"Well...." answered Blaise, "according to my book, which is why I asked mother to send it to me, Quirrell has all the symptoms of a possession. Culminating with the event of the Troll two days ago, which is what gave me the final clue. You see," Blaise explained, "Professor Quirrell is an expert in Trolls...there's no way he'd ever be afraid of one. So...my theory is, the spirit possessing him must have been killed by a Troll....and that caused the spirit to become afraid of Trolls."

Harry frowned in thought at Blaise's theory, "but that still doesn't explain why he's being possessed..." said Harry. Blaise turned to him in question, "...explain..." he said in curiosity.

"Well," Harry answered, "maybe the spirit is possessing Quirrell because he was killed...either on Hogwarts grounds....or by someone in the castle...maybe the spirit wants revenge, then?"

Blaise nodded thoughtfully at Harry's theory, "it makes sense....it'd certainly explain the Troll, then." he said.

"How so?" asked Daphne, while Pansy was more concerned about looking at Harry while alternately looking into her mirror.

"Well....Quirrell is a Troll _expert_, so in theory....even if the spirit _was_ killed by a Troll...Quirrell's knowledge and fascination with Trolls should override the spirit's fear of them."

Harry looked thoughtful again, "So....it was Quirrell who let in the Troll then? Maybe someone here in the castle _did _kill the spirit possessing him...so in revenge, they let in the Troll?"

Draco shook his head, "I think you're only partially right, Harry. Even if they did let the Troll in...what would be the odds that whoever the spirit's trying to get revenge on would actually come across the Troll...especially since it was let in during...dinner time..." Draco trailed off as a thought hit him suddenly, he looked at Blaise, who was frowning. Harry looked confused, "what?" he asked, "what did you just realize?"

"Harry! If Quirrell and the spirit _did _let the Troll in, they didn't want it to actually harm anyone! Think about it!" exclaimed Draco in excitement as he leaned in close, "Who would let a Troll into a school as revenge, and do it right during dinner time? When they'd know that everyone in the castle would be present in the Great Hall? It wasn't done with the intention to harm! It was a distraction!"

Daphne hit her forehead with her hand in wonderment and then she looked up at her friends, "so someone wants to distract the teachers, but they don't want the students to be harmed, so they set up the distraction when they know all the students are supposed to be safely gathered in one place....not only that but the Troll was supposed to be wandering the dungeons.....the farthest place from the Great Hall." she said, in a soft but shocked voice.

"Right." nodded Blaise, and Daphne put up her hand to signal she wasn't finished. "So the _Headmaster_," she continued, "in his infinite wisdom, instead of telling everyone to calm down and stay in the Great Hall, actually sends everyone out, to wander the hallways in a panic, without any teachers to protect them? The idiocy in that man continues to astound me!"

"Maybe...and I know this sounds awful..." Pansy piped in suddenly, shocking her friends, who didn't even know she had been paying attention, "...maybe...Dumbles knew that Quirrell actually let the Troll in...so _he _let the students out of the Great Hall as his own form of distraction...? Maybe he figured that Quirrell would be too distracted by trying to make sure none of the students were harmed so he wouldn't have time to do whatever it was he wanted to do...?"

Harry looked at Pansy, almost in a new light, with a shocked look on his face. _Who would have thought that Pansy could be insightful? _thought Harry. "You're right," answered Harry to her, "which means...whatever Quirrell and the spirit wants....has nothing to do with the students...but...it still doesn't make sense...."

Daphne tapped her chin with her index finger in a pensive manner. Her face lit up, "maybe the spirit wants revenge against one of the teachers! ...it figured that by letting a toll in, it could lure all the teachers out, while keeping the students safe."

Draco shook his head, looked down and tapped his foot, "but what he didn't count on was Dumbledore sending the students out." he said.

Blaise leaned back on the couch and looked at Daphne, "he also didn't count on the mudblood being the only student absent from the Great Hall." he said, then he looked away from Daphne and just looked over his friends and added, "what are the odds that she'd be the only one in danger?"

Daphne visibly tensed, and she grabbed her legs tightly with her hands, "it's Weasley's fault that she was in danger, remember? He made fun of her....as well he should...and the sensitive little sod just had to spend all day crying!" she said in a hard voice, her lips tight.

Blaise looked at Daphne with narrowed eyes, and she looked back at him tensely. But then Draco laughed, and the moment was over. "Yeah," he said, "if Weasley had any good qualities at all, this is it." he laughed. Pansy laughed, as well and agreed, "yeah, making fun of her sure seems like a good pastime, too bad she's in a coma now!"

Harry wasn't laughing though, "but she didn't have any friends....I mean....bad as she is and all...being mudblood....you'd think at least other mudbloods or muggle lovers would be friends with her..." he said in a low voice, looking down at his lap.

Daphne frowned and leaned over to put her hand on Harry's lap. "There's obviously something wrong with her, then. Nothing's preventing her from becoming friends with others like her. She's always alone, buried in her books, and if someone asks for her help with anything she just says no or worse."

Pansy nodded enthusiastically, "yeah, and I've even heard from some gossipy Gryffindorks that when _they _asked her for help on some Potions homework, she said _if I can do it, so can you, so why don't you just pick up a book instead of wasting time socializing and learning makeup charms!"_

Daphne snickered quietly, and said, "oh, yeah. She's so mean, no everyone takes to reading so easily. Besides, there's no reason why she can't just study _and _make friends. What does she do when she's not studying, anyways?"

Harry's eyes widened when Daphne finished speaking, and he smacked his right hand against the palm of his left hand and stood up abruptly, running to the stairs room and leaving behind his perplexed friends. Then he turned around halfway up and made the universal _come on, follow me _motion to his friends. His friends quickly gathered their things and made their way up. They followed Harry to his and Blaise's room to find him rummaging through his trunk.

Harry pulled out Hermione Granger's journal cursing his own stupidity for forgetting about it. But who could blame him, really, considering the last couple of days had been a whirlwind; what with the meeting with Dumbledore the morning right after Halloween, then baiting Weasley with the information the man had given him, and finally, getting Draco to send his father everything they knew. Lucius had then contacted someone he knew in the Daily Prophet, and made the article, which had been scheduled to appear on the Sunday Prophet, which more people tended to buy over the Prophet from any other day.

It had been a busy few days, not to mention classes and assignments aside from all the extracurricular activities of gossip and espionage. Harry was having the time of his life, though. He'd never had so much fun in school before.

"Ok, look at this." said Harry quietly after Draco closed the door to the room. Harry sat on his bed and showed his friends the journal. "I haven't read it, yet." he added.

Daphne and the others looked shocked and impressed. Draco asked, "How did you get the mud-blood's journal?"

Harry smirked, "it was in Dumbledore's office. I found it on the floor right next to my chair, as if it was just waiting for me."

Blaise frowned, "why was it in Dumbledore's office?" he asked in suspicion. Harry frowned in thought, and answered, "I doubt Granger was ever in there.....so Dumbledore must have taken it from her right after she went into a coma."

"Makes sense, but what could be written in there that he'd be so interested in it?" asked Pansy. And Daphne smiled in anticipation, "let's find out, shall we?" she said, rubbing her hands in excitement.

Harry nodded, and went to open it, but found he couldn't, so he frowned and looked at his friends, and shrugged. "I can't open it....must be the privacy charms." he said.

Pansy jumped in excitement and raised her hand quickly, "I bet I can open it!" she exclaimed, and quickly, she pulled out her wand, cleared her throat and cast a spell that Harry didn't know. The book glowed and then opened on its own in Harry's hand.

Draco scoffed in shock, and Blaise nodded in appreciation. Daphne just rolled her eyes, every girl who had a magical journal knew that spell. Harry looked impressed, and he smiled widely at Pansy, who in turn glowed almost as brightly as the journal moments before.

They all gathered around Harry, who moved to the floor so they would all be able to look at it properly. The Journal was open to the first page, and it was written in a neat script.

_Dear diary, I have been practicing extensively with a quill, and it is proving quite difficult. It is a constant struggle to balance strength, speed and the amount of ink I use. But I will prove successful, because I am constantly practicing with it, even when I am reading, I take notes...and so I practice. Speaking of books, scientists would have a field day with all these books of magic. Nothing makes sense, at least not at first glance, however, I am quite determined to find a pattern to this magic, some way to make sense of it, because nothing just occurs without a reason or a logic behind it._

They read over the first part and then just sort of skimmed over it, it seemed the first pages were simply her thoughts on magic; it was dated a week before school had started.

_I have been trying to make sense of how the wizarding world operates, and I am starting to gather evidence that they evolve more slowly as a society than...muggles... (I am still trying to get used to that word)._

"Slowly, she says!" exclaimed Draco when he read that part. Pansy was frowning, too. Harry, on the other hand, was finding everything in the diary quite interesting. Having lived in the muggle world all his life, he could definitely connect with some of Hermione's opinions, and it seemed she had a habit of writing down a lot useful and interesting information in her journal.

Harry skimmed through the text a little bit, until he spotted his name, and he read the few lines of text, "what's the House of Lords?" he asked aloud, "and who's Lord Black?" he added.

Draco was startled at the question, "where did you see that?" he asked, scanning the text. Harry pointed it out and read it aloud, "here, see? _Lord Black's position in the House of Lords is in temporary hold at the hands of the Potter family, it seems that Lord Black is godfather to the Boy-Who-Lived, which would give Harry Potter two seats of power in the House of Lords, he already has one as inherited from his father, Lord Potter._"

Draco's eyes widened, _the mudblood's pretty smart,_ he thought to himself. "uhm...Lord Black is Sirius Black....he's kind of like my second cousin....since he's the cousin of my mother, who's also a Black. He's....uhm......" explained Draco before hesitating and going quiet.

Harry looked at him, "What....Draco?" asked Harry in suspicion. Blaise and the rest, meanwhile, stayed quiet.

Draco sighed while looking at the floor, then he looked up again and turned to Harry. "Supposedly, he's the one who gave your parents away to the Dark Lord."

Harry's eyes widened, and he looked away for a few seconds, then he frowned and looked back, "what do you mean, _supposedly_? And how did he give them away?" he asked.

Daphne grabbed Harry's hand, and he looked at her. "Everyone knows _the story_, Harry. For some reason, the Dark Lord wanted to kill your whole family....so they went into hiding using a spell..." she explained carefully, and Draco looked thankful that he didn't have to explain, so she continued, as she noticed she had Harry's attention.

"...the spell is called a _fidelius charm_, and it involves two people, one who casts it, and one whom it is cast upon. Basically, it's a spell that hides a secret within one person, and it makes it impossible for anyone to know the secret, unless the person who's hiding the secret, tells it. With me so far?" she explained and then asked.

Harry nodded, he could see where this was going. Daphne continued, "The story says that your parents went into hiding and chose Sirius Black as the person to guard the secret of their location...but Sirius Black was secretly a follower of the Dark Lord....at least according to the story...so because of this, he went directly to the Dark Lord and told him where your parents were hiding. Soon afterwards, he was caught in a muggle street, because he got into a fight with a friend of your parents, and there was an explosion...a lot of muggles died, so his wand was snapped, and he was sent to Azkaban."

Harry was surprised when he heard the story, and he felt a bit of shock and the beginnings to a feel of betrayal; Sirius Black, his Godfather, according to Granger, and also betrayer of his parents. But there was something wrong with the whole thing, something nagging at him...almost like an old memory wanting to surface. "You keep saying _supposedly_, and _according to the story_. What do you mean by that?"

Daphne and Draco shared almost uncomfortable looks, and Draco answered. "He was never given a trial. So, despite it being _common knowledge_ that he was a follower of the Dark Lord and betrayed your parents... he was never officially sentenced. It's out of protocol, really, everyone is supposed to be given trials... but for some reason, Sirius Black is the exception. He was sent directly to Azkaban, no trial, his wand was snapped the second his was caught at the scene, and, according to my mother, he's being kept in the most secure area of Azkaban, and he's not allowed visitors."

"...so it's possible he's innocent?" asked Harry in a whisper.

"...I don't want to give you empty hope, Harry..." said Draco, "...but my mother thinks it's possible...especially considering that...well...if anyone would know if Sirius Black was a follower of the Dark Lord or not it would be us...my family most of all..." explained Draco carefully in a whisper. His eyes were drawn to the floor and he was leaning with his arms slightly folded over his legs.

Harry looked thoughtful, "I wonder if there's something _I _could do? After all, he's supposed to have betrayed _me_. If I were to....I dunno...ask if I could see him...or...ask around to be shown proof of his guilt....if they can't show me any proof....I could demand a trial...right?" he finished saying, looking at Draco in question.

Draco had narrowed his eyes in thought, "that's a good point, Harry. I'll send a letter to my father, see if maybe he can do something."

"Thanks." responded Harry with a small smile, "Now," he added, looking at the journal in his hands once again. "What's the House of Lords?" he asked, looking around to his friends, and then looking at the journal again, "should I care that I have two seats of power in it?" he asked.

Blaise looked thoughtful, and reached for the journal, bringing it closer to himself. "Let's see what Miss. Mudblood has to say." he commented as he looked through the current page for the relevant information. "Ah! Here it is." he said seconds later, putting the journal closer to Harry so the boy could read with him and understand better.

"Look, Harry, she wrote it down. _The wizarding government here seems to operate with a Minister, much like the muggle counterpart, but I have found evidence that the Minister relies and depends heavily upon the approval of different groups within the government, most prominently, what's commonly referred to as the "House of Lords", which according to the book I am using ("Introduction to Government" page 345), consists of titled members of families, and their position within the House is hereditary._" Blaise finished reading the paragraph

Draco frowned, "I don't think that book is in the library here." Pansy scoffed, "Of course it isn't. Dumbles will only allow books that paint him and his beliefs in a good light. At least according to my uncle."

Harry shook his head, "he's probably right....your uncle, I mean." Harry then sighed, "the more I learn about the Headmaster the less I like him."

Blaise was looking at the journal with wide eyes. "Uhm....if you don't like him now....wait until you read this...." he murmured, slowly passing the journal to Harry, who nervously took in Blaise's shocked features.

He looked at the part where Blaise was pointing, the section was right under the part that said he had two seats, in his confusion he had probably missed it. Now, what did it say? Harry read it aloud, "_At further investigating the matter, it seems that, given Harry Potter's underaged status, both of his seats are currently in the "care" of Headmaster Dumbledore, because apparently he is the boy's Magical Guardian._" Harry read through it fast, and they all remained quiet for a few seconds.

"What!" yelled Draco in shock, startling Daphne and Pansy, who were both frozen with shock. Harry wasn't sure what a _magical guardian _was, but he was pretty suspicious about it, and seeing Draco's reaction, he didn't think he'd like the implications.

Harry was further shocked when Draco abruptly got up from the floor and ran out of the room. Daphne watched him go and got up too, "I'll go get him." she said, and left as well.

Harry gulped, "...what's a magical guardian?" he asked in a quiet voice. Blaise answered him, "Magical guardians are people who take the place of your parents basically. They have almost complete control over you...most importantly for you, Harry, if Dumbledore really is your Magical Guardian, it means he can try to control what you do, who you're friends with, where you're allowed to go...even what you study and what you're allowed to spend money on." explained Blaise.

Harry's eyes went wide, "No way! That's not fair! I've been living all my life with disgusting muggles who called themselves my family and treated me like dirt! Where was Dumbledore all those years?" he yelled while jumping up from his seat on the floor. The journal fell forgotten on the floor.

"I had no idea about anything until I came here and met you guys. There's no way I'm gonna allow some old fart I don't know to control me!" he yelled, gesturing wildly with his arms. He was so mad all of a sudden that he started sparking with magic.

"No way!" he yelled again, breathing harshly, "there has to be something I can do! My parents....wouldn't they have written a will or something? Draco told me all families write wills as soon as they have their first son! Especially during times of war! And if my parents knew that the Dark Lord would be coming for them, then especially they would have thought ahead, wouldn't they? I really doubt they would name Albus Dumbledore, of all people as my guardian, they would have had other people in mind....friends, distant family....I refuse to believe that Albus Dumbledore is my guardian! And I will do everything in my power to make sure I find my parents will and find the right person to be my guardian!"

"I'm afraid that won't be an easy task, Mr. Potter." said someone from the doorway. Harry, Blaise and Pansy all turned in shock to look at the man standing right outside Harry and Blaise's room.

How could they not notice? Now they were caught, and of all people to catch Harry speaking so boldly it had to be him! _Now I'm in real trouble_, thought Harry as he gulped.

**End of Chapter~~~**

**Chiyoku says: **I hope you enjoyed this chapter! And hey, how many of you caught things in this chapter that were introduced in the past? The "little things" I mentioned before, there's a pretty big one in this chapter.

I hope you **review**! Even if just to say, "good one" or "hated it" XD or... "update faster, you bloody snail!" heh.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chiyoku says: **First of all, sorry for taking so long. I would give excuses, but I'm sure you all understand how life sometimes just gets in the way of the things we want to do. Secondly, I wanted to make the chapter longer…but I figured it's been long enough, so I'll just update what I have.

Third and last, I want to let you guys know that I tend to update my profile at times to say how far I am on whatever story I'm working on, so if you guys are curious, you can always just visit my profile, and check the bottom, you're likely to see some message every once in a while about how I'm doing and when I think I'll update.

That's pretty much it….

**Enjoy!**

**Alternation Nation**

**A fanfiction by Chiyoku Shibata**

_**Recap: **__Newspaper article bashing Dumbledore, Ron, and his parents come out. Lucius uses it in his favor, and Dumbledore shows a guardianship paper he has with Harry's name. Blaise reads about the Dark Arts, and they read Granger's journal where Harry finds out that Dumbledore is his Guardian and Sirius Black is his Godfather and supposed betrayer of his parents._

**Chapter 11: Back To Golden Boy**

"Draco! Slow down!" exclaimed Daphne as she ran after him. Draco entered his room and went directly to his desk, taking some parchment and a quill. "Draco, are you alright?" asked Daphne softly as she put her hand on his shoulder. "No! I'm not alright!" answered Draco in a huff.

Daphne sighed, "just because the mudblood wrote that..." she started to say, but was interrupted. "Look," said Draco, "I don't know where she read it that the Headmaster is Harry's legal magical guardian, and I don't think it even matters if it's true or not! If people find out that _Albus Dumbledore _even _might_ be Harry's guardian, they're going to demand he take control of Harry immediately! Especially because, not only is Harry a Slytherin, but he's friends with _us_! The _Death_ _Eater's_ children! Even if it was never proven our parents were Death Eaters, everyone believes it! Especially with people like Dumbledore and the Weasley's encouraging the sentiment! The first thing Dumbledore would do is force Harry to hang out with people like the weasel! We'd never be allowed to even eat with him anymore! Harry'll be forced to eat and sleep with the Gryffindors! Even if he can't officially be switched to Gryffindor, they'll turn him into a Gryffindor in all but name! Don't you see? And no one will complain about it! No! They'll all _cheer_ Dumbledore for taking the initiative to _fix_ Harry and "turn him back into the path of Light"! Everyone's already half convinced he's turning Dark....as if that makes him evil, somehow, anyways!"

Daphne bit her lower lip and touched the palm of her hand to her cheek as the realization of the truth of Draco's words set in. "You're right..." she said, "so you're gonna write to your father?" she asked.

Draco finally calmed a bit as Daphne understood just how bad the situation could get, so he sat down and nodded. "Yeah, I've been keeping him informed of anything related to Harry. He's been trying to find out if the Potter's wrote a will, and why it hasn't been read."

Daphne frowned slightly, "...does Harry _know _you've been keeping your father informed about him?"

Draco just rolled his eyes, "Of course." He sat down and started writing his letter. "...and it's not like I'm telling my father anything that could be dangerous for Harry. I want to help him, why should he be forced to be all chummy chum with the Weasley's and all those blood traitors? And that family of his? Ugh! Muggles! Disgusting beasts. Did you know they actually use each other to send their post? That just proves it, they're no better than Post Owls. Fowl, beastly, and dropping every which way. Smelly beasts..."

There was silence a few moments while Draco wrote the news of Dumbledore's possible guardianship of Harry, and Daphne ate a piece of chocolate she had in her pocket.

Draco then sighed, and turned back to Daphne, "Harry doesn't know any better, alright? I just want what's best for him."

Daphne nodded, "of course you do, just like Dumbledore, I'm sure." Draco jumped from his sit at Daphne's words and growled "Rictusempra!" he yelled, pulling out his wand and pointing it at Daphne. The girl's eyes went wide and her mouth went slack in shock, before the spell hit her and she started laughing hysterically.

Meanwhile, Severus was walking briskly through the hallways right after leaving Dumbledore's office. McGonagall had quickly huffed and gone the other way. All his instinct's were telling him that there was something weird going on.

Now that he was safely away, he could think back to the moments when he had the supposed guardianship parchment right in front of him.

There was no reason why Lily's magic would change in the parchment over time. The particular parchment used for guardianship documentation, was made specifically to last an average of twenty years. It was assumed that parents or prospective parents would fill out those documents soon before or after the planned birth or pregnancy. Once the child was born, they would add the child's signature. But once the child in question reached a certain age, the issue of guardianship was pointless since the child would be of age, and wouldn't need a guardian, which was why they were made to last a specific amount of time averaging in 20 years.

Dumbledore's guardianship documentation wouldn't be older than 11 years, 12 at most if Lily and James had started on the document as soon as Lily was pregnant. And the second he'd seen the document, he had been confused by _Lily's Signature_. And for that matter, why would they even consider giving Albus guardianship? At the logical time when they would have filled it out, there was no risk to Lily or her baby, thus, there would have been no doubt to trust _Sirius Black_...

Also, if Dumbledore's document was genuine, which he was starting to really doubt it was, there would have been no question in his mind that it was Lily's magical signature. And for that matter, there's no way Severus would ever mistake or confuse _James Potter_'s magical signature, since he had been subjected to many a spell from the man's wand during his school years.

Alright, assuming his hunch was correct, and the documentation was a clever forgery, he could deduce that only someone like himself, who'd been around their magic long enough...and been subjected to it more than enough...would be able to work out the parchmentwork was False. So...Dumbledore wanted control of the boy-who-lived, and had decided to use this parchment. Also, most likely, if he did present this in the ministry to gain control of the boy, any spellwork done on it to verify its authenticity would be tainted in two ways; one, the person asked to perform the spellwork, will never have met Lily and James in person, therefore, they wouldn't be able to distinguish a forgery from the real thing, especially if himself of all people, had to think about it before he realizes it was a fake.

The second way that the authenticity test would be tainted would be due to the fact that Dumbledore would be going in person, so whoever was selected to be in charge of doing said tests, would most likely be blinded by The Great Albus Dumbledore's Shinning Light of Truth, Justice, and Awesomeness.

Severus' scowl got bigger as he realized that it didn't _matter _if the Guardianship Documentation was real or not, because there was no way that almost anyone in the ministry would dare try to deny the man anything he might want, and then, considering the facts, if anyone even dared to breath that the parchmentwork might not be genuine, phew, he didn't even want to thing about it.

Suddenly, Severus stopped short, and idea forming. A smirk almost dawning in his face. He resumed his fast walk, he was almost at the common room, now. He had to go see Draco very urgently. _If I could get someone to make a claim for Guardianship of Harry before Albus has a chance to go into the Ministry with -his- claim...maybe enough doubt could be cast to give the right people the pull they need to actually look into it. After all, if Albus Dumbledore had the power to take guardianship of the Boy-Who-Lived all this time, then why didn't he? Why did he leave the poor boy in the hands of -muggles- and wait until someone else made a claim before deciding to make his own claim? It should definitely cast enough question into the matter. _

As he finally got close to the male dorms, he heard Harry Potter's voice, it was loud and angry. "...I refuse to believe that Albus Dumbledore is my guardian! And I will do everything in my power to make sure I find my parents' Will and find the right person to be my guardian!"

"I'm afraid that won't be an easy task, Mr. Potter." said Snape from the doorway, the occupants of the room turned to him in shock, and he thought he saw the Zabini boy kicking something under the bed. Snape walked slowly into the room, and Harry wasn't sure whether he should be afraid or not, this man is their Head of House, but he's also a teacher under Dumbledore's command, so he decided to keep quiet and wait for the man to say something else.

Snape noticed that Harry looked concerned, so he said, "The Headmaster is in possession of a parchment that could potentially give him guardianship of you, but he still hasn't made it known to the Ministry that he possesses such a thing..." he stopped speaking and looked at Harry in the eyes, so as to give his point more strength. "...if someone _else _were to, say...present themselves in the Ministry wanting to claim guardianship of you, _before _the Headmaster goes there? It might help. Speaking of...where is..._Mr. Malfoy_?" he asked casually after saying his piece.

Harry's eyes went wide, and he exchanged a look with Pansy and Blaise. Snape's heart almost swelled with pride, it seemed Harry was more clever than he had been made to believe, especially to have understood his hint that quickly... he _is _only 11 years old after all.

"Uhm...Draco left a few minutes ago...he might have gone to his room..." answered Harry. If Harry had understood the professor correctly, then it seemed he had his Head of House in his side. It made Harry want to breath in relief. But a new problem arose for him now, Harry didn't want Dumbledore to be his guardian, but he was too embarrassed to even suggest to Draco that maybe his father could ask for guardianship.

Severus turned and left the room, he could hear almost delirious laughter as he neared Draco's room, he raised an eyebrow when he saw Daphne Greengrass on the floor, laughing hysterically, with tear in her eyes; Draco had an almost mad look about him as he watched the girl on the floor, his smile was so much like his aunt Bellatrix's smile that Severus almost felt like shivering.

"How long has she been under the spell?" he asked, and Draco lost concentration when he saw his Godfather by the door. Daphne slowly stopped laughing, but the tears kept falling anyways. She got up from the floor slowly, her tummy ached from so much laughing, and she was gasping for breath. Draco sighed sadly at having been interrupted, but then he rolled his eyes and gave Daphne a napkin to clean her face with, and helped her to his bed. She didn't protest, and she didn't complain to Snape either. However she did wince slightly and took a deep breath to calm herself.

Severus shook his head slightly, whatever they had going on, wasn't his problem right now. So he walked over to Draco's desk and grabbed a quill and some parchment and wrote a quick letter for Lucius informing him of the most recent events with Dumbledore. If Lucius was going to do something, now was the moment.

"Here" said Severus as he folded the parchment and handed it to Draco, "Write a letter to your father and send this one inside of it. You have to do it now."

Draco took the letter, and nodded, he knew what to do. They had talked about this before Draco had left for Hogwarts, if Severus ever needed to give something to Lucius that should be kept secret, it would be given to Draco for him to send.

Daphne took out another piece of candy from her pocket and calmed herself as she watched the proceedings. Draco got up from the bed and went to his desk, he sat down and worked on the letter he had wanted to send to his father. He told him all about what he had read with his friends from Granger's journal, finishing with the part about Dumbledore being Harry's guardian. Then he folded up his letter, with Severus' letter inside, he sealed it all with a family stamp and grabbed Daphne to go to the Owlery.

"Harry," said Draco as he passed by Harry's room. "We're going to the Owlery, I'm sending a letter...wanna come?"

So Draco, Daphne, Harry, Pansy, and Blaise all left together and walked all the way to the Owlery. They found Draco's personal Owl and watched moments later as it flew off with Draco's letter.

All in all, the whole trip took them about 30 minutes. They stopped on the way several times, chatting about classes, and were even stopped by a couple of Ravenclaw students that everyone but Harry knew; they were all quickly introduced to each other before hurrying they all hurried their own way.

Harry met Blaise's distant cousin, Jason Lawbitt, a boy of dirty blond hair and tanned skin, who was walking with his arm around a girl who turned out to be an old best friend of Pansy; Carolyn Weston, a simple forgettable girl of straight brown hair and almond eyes who was clutching to a book as if it were a lifeline, who could have ever thought such a simple girl could ever get so close to Pansy. Of course, the mystery was solved when Pansy and the girl squealed at once and hugged each other yelling at a really fast pace.

Things turned sour really fast when Dumbledore stopped them on their way back. He had a look of accomplishment in his eyes as he stared at them all. Harry discovered his throat and mouth had suddenly dried when he went to swallow hard from the nerves that enveloped him.

"Mr. Potter, so glad to run into you, please follow me, I have a matter of importance I need to discuss with you." said Dumbledore, as he stared at Harry, the old man's eyes shining with happiness and accomplishment. He frowned slightly when Harry hesitated and looked around at his friends. "Now." he intoned in a serious voice. Harry still couldn't find it in himself to gather enough saliva in his mouth to relieve the dryness in his throat. So he sighed in resignation and in an attempt to calm himself before a quick shiver of fear rattled his body and he walked to follow the Headmaster.

Harry had a nasty feeling this was about the guardianship. Snape had said the Headmaster hadn't gone to the Ministry with his claim yet, but maybe the man felt he didn't even need to. Harry frowned when he realized he didn't know where they were going. But before he could question the Headmaster, he noticed they stopped in front of the portrait of a very fat woman.

Dumbledore smirked, finally the boy would know who he was messing with. "Caput Draconis" he said, and the portrait opened. Harry had a bad feeling about the whole thing. "Come, come, Harry." said Dumbledore in a light voice as he motioned for the confused boy to go inside.

Harry entered the room with a frown, and froze in shock. Everything was in Gryffindor colors! Oh, no! "What's going on here!" he exclaimed loudly, staring around in shock. He saw a few students lazying about, and they turned around to look at him at his loud exclamation.

Harry felt his head go forward suddenly, and realize that Dumbledore had slapped him slightly on the back of the head. He rubbed his head, and frowned as he looked at Dumbledore. The man was staring at him in disapproval. "You will not use that tone of voice around me, boy." he said, and Harry had a nasty shock when he realized the man had sounded exactly like his Uncle Vernon.

"Sorry, sir." he murmured with a frown. Dumbledore smiled in approval now. "Now, Harry, I've decided you need a change in scenery if you are to change your awful ways, so I've switched you to Gryffindor. I've already informed young Ronald of it all, and he was most excited about it. He can't wait to show you around, and be your best friend."

Harry scoffed at Dumbledore's words, _right, like that'll ever happen, _he thought to himself. Then he realized something, so he turned to the Headmaster and said, "Hey, doesn't the sorting hat decide which house a student goes to?" he asked.

Dumbledore smiled, hiding his anger, "well, since I'm your guardian, I get to decide this things for you, Harry."

"What!" Harry exclaimed, even though he'd already seen it coming, hearing him say it just made it all the more terrible. He yelped when he felt Dumbledore hit his head again.

"Your belongings have already been brought to your new room, and....Ah! There comes young Ronald now."

"Headmaster!" yelled Ron as he stumbled down the stairs towards the door. He smiled and jumped, catching himself on Harry, and hugging him for all he was worth. Harry resisted the instinct to to grab his wand and curse the redheaded brat with the tickling hex that Draco had had him practicing. It would certainly be funny to see the Weasel die from lack of oxygen from laughing so hard.

"I'm so happy we get to be friends now, Harry! I know you couldn't help being mean to me because that Death-Eater's son was controlling you, but now you can be yourself! I can't wait to tell you what I want you to buy me for my birthday, although we're close to the hols now, so you can just buy me two gifts at once, that'll make it easy for you. That way you can make up for cursing me as a cockroach at the beginning of the year."

Dumbledore laughed good-naturedly and clamped a hand on Ron and Harry's necks as if half-heartedly hugging them.

Harry refrained from frowning but it was a hard thing to do, since in between the Headmaster and the Weasel, he wasn't sure who he wanted to kill first. But seriously, gifts? Right, the day he actually spent any of his family's money on a beggar like _Ronald Weasel_, was the day he swore fealty to Dumbledore, and donated all his money to the Dursleys.

Instead of blowing something up, Harry just offered a simple and noncommittal smile, and both, Weasel and the Headmaster, were pleased. Harry mentally rolled his eyes and thanked Daphne, who had taught him an Introductory Course Into Falsifying Feelings.

"Right...well, why don't you just show me the room I have to be at, then?" said Harry, tired already of all the lies behind the kind and somewhat friendly words.

Dumbledore immediately noticed Harry's tone of voice, and the fact that the boy said _the room I have to be at _rather than just saying _show me my room_. It seemed his work wouldn't be easy, but he was sure he would be successful, after all, Gryffindors are much better than Slytherins, especially the ones that followed his lead, like Ronald. He had been quite successful in convincing the boy that Harry had only acted the way he did because of the influence of the vile Slytherins, but now that he would have Ronald as a friend, that would change. Of course, he also hoped that Harry would be influenced by Ronald's study habits, or lack thereof. He really detested the fact that those studious Slytherins had gotten to his Golden Boy first.

Speaking off, Dumbledore stared at Harry's Slytherin uniform with disgust. So he waved his wand over the boy, who had instinctively pulled out his own wand when he saw Dumbledore's movements; Harry's uniform changed colors to match those of Gryffindor House, to which the boy couldn't help but look down and feel immediate revulsion.

Dumbledore ignored the look on Harry's face, and just smiled like the senile old fart he always portrays to be and then left with a jaunty wave of his hand.

Harry rolled his eyes, and sneered as he looked at Ronald once Dumbledore was gone. "Just because I'm a Gryffindor doesn't mean I'm gonna be all buddy-buddy with you.....buddy. So don't look at me, don't talk to me, don't even _think _about touching me in any way.....and if you even _dream _that I might ever even consider buying you _anything _I'm going to hit you with the strongest, and nastiest curse I know. Being a cockroach won't even compare to what I'm gonna think up." said Harry in a low and dark tone of voice, his eyes narrowed, and his upper lip curled in anger and repugnance.

Ronald's eyes went wide in fright, and he sputtered in shock. Harry turned his side on the git-_never his back_-, and looked around the common room to the few students lounging around who were looking at him in awe, and some in fright. Harry spotted two redheads in a corner, huddled over some forgotten notebooks. They were both looking at him like he was the newest curiosity in a Freak-show, and they just couldn't wait to study and/or touch him; Harry figured they had to be the famous Weasley twins, pranksters extraordinaire; self titled, of course, but from what he knew of them, they were practically the only Gryffindors in history who never discriminated against Slytherins. He reasoned they were probably the only people in Gryffindor worth talking to, so he walked over to them slowly, assessing them as he approached closer and closer.

As he stood right across from them, facing the single couch they were sharing, and the small low table where they had spread parchment and notebooks, Harry crossed his arms, and stared at them, while they stared back. "Hi, I'm Harry Potter." he said to them, finally, after some moments pause. The twins looked at each other for a second, before turning back to him and extending their hands. "Hi, we're Fred and George Weasley." they greeted simultaneously, with half smiled adorning their faces. Harry crossed his arms and shook both their extended hands at once, smirking slightly in amusement.

"Do you mind showing me where the first year rooms are?" asked Harry, and the twins shared looks again. "The first years all share one room." said the twin on the left, while the twin on the right nodded, "yep, except they still divide us by gender..." he sighed sadly, "we tried telling McGonagall she was discriminating against women by separating the dorms by gender..." added the twin on the left, "but she just gave us a week's detention..." finished the twin on the right.

"Well," said Harry with an amused smirk, "I sure wouldn't want to share with Pansy, that's for sure..."

The twins smiled and looked at each other, _I like him, _they said to each other with their looks. "Well, come on, then." they said together and got up, waving their wands and making all their stuff disappear.

One of the twins took the lead, with Harry standing right behind him, and the other taking up the rear. They went up the stairs, leaving Ronald by the door, still spluttering in shock and anger. _The boy who lived was supposed to be -my- friend, blast it! _he thought to himself, with a stump of his foot.

Harry looked around what was supposed to be his new dorm. Everything was so cramped in this tower, he supposed the room must have at one point seemed spacious, but now...with six beds and three big desks and armoires....were they expected to share? _How plebeian...._he thought to himself, before he mentally rolled his eyes at himself. Draco _and _Blaise, to Harry's surprise, had been very insistent that he think of himself as royalty, his family was very old and super high class, so it was only fair. James Potter, according to Blaise, might have been a light-sided, muggle loving fool-with all due respect, of course- but he would have raised Harry to know that he was better than people like the Weasley's, even if he would have grown up being friends with them. It would have been like, the Prince growing up playing with the servant's children.

When Harry had asked them about what they thought of his mother, they said they were pretty neutral about her. She had been muggle-born, but she had been very powerful, smart, _and _a Slytherin. And besides, it wasn't like they hated muggleborns or anything, they just resented how they brought their muggle customs and prejudice. There was a very big difference between muggle Light and Dark, and _wizard _Light and Dark. They just never took the time to learn it, and with people like _Dumbledore _always doing battle with _Dark_, the ignorant muggleborns never stood a chance.

Harry was brought out of his thoughts by one of the Weasley twins, "so...what do you think?" he asked, pointing around the room. The other twin smirked and kicked the bed next to him lightly, "We know it's not exactly as good as the Slytherin dorms..." he said, before the first twin took over again, "...but it'll have to do."

Harry frowned, "you guys know what the Slytherin dorms look like....how?" asked Harry with suspicion. He saw the twins exchange grins, "that's for us to know, and..." they said together, "...you know the rest..." they added.

Harry narrowed his eyes in suspicion, and made a note to investigate it at a later date. Despite this, he rather liked the twins, or rather, he didn't have anything in particular against them. They pranked everyone equally, even the teachers. It always seemed like they didn't have anything against the Slytherins, if they disliked someone, it was never because of what house they belonged to. And Harry figured if anything, having someone like the Weasley twins on his side could only be good for him. Even if they are _Weasley's_, they're not that bad, he figured.

"It is rather smaller than what I'm used to having here." agreed Harry with a nod. He sighed and walked over to the bed he recognized as his, because it had his stuff on it and his trunk sitting on the end of the bed. Harry sat on the bed with a sigh, the twins still standing there looking around, and at him.

"Could I just be alone right now? Thanks…" said Harry, looking at the Twins and then looking over to the window. The twins sighed and nodded in understanding, not really saying anything, and they both left.

_I'm alone again, _thought Harry, _just when I thought I could have close friends that I could almost consider family….I get taken away from them, forced by some old man I never met before coming here….how is that fair? Would my parents really have trusted him? He gives me the creeps…I wonder if it's a magic thing, or just a -me- thing? I look at him, and I instinctively know that I can't trust him…on the other hand, I look at Draco, or even the Weasley twins, and they give me good feelings…it feels almost like a spark inside me…goes off for a second when I get close to either of them, and I just know… _

Harry sighed again, and took off his shoes, crossing him legs on the bed. He picked at the hem of his ugly Gryffindor colored robes, his mind wondering everywhere and nowhere. Ever since coming here, finding out about this world, he felt like his life had been a rush, or a dream; he never wanted to wake up, if that was the case. His life with the Dursley's, whom he was forced to call _family_, had always felt wrong…and not just because they made him do all the chores and fed him scraps.

Harry had had dreams….weird dreams, for a long time. In them, there was magic being done, things flying, a man transforming into a dog, a flying motorbike, of all things… many weird things, which at first, he'd seen fit to tell to his _family _but it'd only gotten him punished… stuck in the basement with the washer and drier, and the bugs. Then he'd stopped telling about them, but the damage had been done. One dream in particular, though, stuck out above all else… one in which he could now recognize his parents, and their last few moments.

Harry could remember sitting on a plush carpet, playing with a small winged golden ball that kept circling his head while he tried to catch it, laughing all the while. He remembered a man… his father, looking at him with a smile on his face, his face proud when Harry caught what he now knew as a snitch, his mother waving a wand and a pile of clothes folding itself… then there was a loud boom, and Harry froze in fright before he started crying. He couldn't remember what his parents had said, he'd been crying to hard, although several names stuck out in his dreams… names that had come to the forefront of his dreams ever since he'd come back to this world.

_Voldemort_ was the first name, he knew now that was the Dark Lord…_Peter_, which from the stories he'd heard was one of his father's friends from school…and one other name, _Albus_ which he knew was the Headmaster's first name… but for the life of him, he couldn't recall what his parents had said that night… why was the _Headmaster_ of all people, mentioned by his parents that night?

Harry sighed in frustration…. He'd sure been doing a lot of sighing lately, but he sure had reason for it. Harry leaned back into the head of the bed, folding his arms back behind his head. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and tried to pretend he was back in his room with Blaise.

Before he could really relax, though, he heard the door opening and someone stumbled through. Harry opened his eyes and sat up, a boy standing there looking at his with wide eyes. "Who the hell are you?" asked Harry, "and why are you bothering me when I said I wanted to be alone?"

"…I…I have…an assignment to complete…and I forgot my books." Answered the boy. Harry sighed, "what's your name?"

"Neville….Longbottom." Answered the frightened looking kid. "..I could…leave…" he added, while Harry frowned in curiosity. "Longbottom?" asked Harry, "I've heard that name before…." He said, while he got up from the bed, and kneeled beside his trunk. He opened it and rifled through it, searching for a book in particular.

"Tragic Stories From The War, by Sarah Brightman." Read Harry as he pulled out a a thick book. Harry still remembered Blaise's words, the book addict, as he gave Harry a copy: _The author of this book feels that everyone has a right to be remembered, whether they were on Dumbledore's side in the war, or the Dark Lord's. It was very controversial when this book came out, because it made everyone's story sound tragic, whether a Death Eater tortured them to death, or whether they got killed by an Auror during a battle…_

"I saw a pair of Longbottom's here somewhere…." He said as he flipped to the right page, "ah! Here we are, _Alice _and _Frank_ Longbottom. Tortured until insane by a psychotic female Death Eater named Bellatrix…Lestrange…formerly Bellatrix _Black…_"

Neville froze when he heard what Harry read, he spluttered and turned red, not in shame, but maybe in anger, although his face still held fright, and now a mix of sadness. Neville walked over to his trunk without looking at Harry.

Harry shook his head, still looking at the book. He turned the pages again, then looked at Neville, who was still looking away. He started to read the text from another page, "_Bellatrix Lestrange_," he read, and Neville froze again, Harry continued, "devoted follower of the Dark Lord, caught in a raid by Aurors, held in a secret facility for three long months before she escaped, who knows the horrors she had to face during her captivity at the hands of the Aurors, since when she escaped, she was declared legally insane." Read Harry again, before closing the book and dumping it back into his trunk.

Harry crossed his arms and looked at Neville who slowly turned around, and frowned at Harry. "Are….are you saying that…_that woman_…went after my parents….in revenge? Because they were Aurors?" asked Neville, sitting on the floor besides his trunk, facing Harry, who was still just standing besides his own trunk, arms crossed.

"I'm just reading you text from a book….but, it makes sense…don't it?' said Harry, shrugging. "Bellatrix was captured by Aurors….your parents were Aurors…maybe they were in the group that captured her….or even tortured her…after all, she's only a Death Eater, right? _She deserves it!_" continued Harry, with a slight anger in his voice.

Neville wanted to be angry, especially at the way Harry was talking about his parents…but he couldn't, the anger just didn't want to come. After all, this was _Harry Potter_ right here in front of him, who's gonna know more about the war than _him_. Who has more of a _right_ to speak about the war than the Boy-Who-Lived?

Neville shook his head, "so, you're saying that…my parents and other Aurors caught…..Bellatrix….and tortured her? For what?" he asked.

Harry snorted, "for what?! For information on the Dark Lord…for anything she might know about the identities of other Death Eaters….or just because they felt she deserved it for siding against them! Pick your poison, it was war!" answered Harry incredulously, and with anger in his voice. After everything that Draco and Daphne had been telling him about the last war, he felt his anger was justified. All the Dark Lord wanted was to make these muggleborn outsiders learn the ways of the Wizards. He didn't want them bringing their petty ideas of what's right and wrong into a world they know nothing about. It makes sense, but _they _didn't see it that way. It made Harry sick with anger, especially knowing that his _parents_ of all people, were against the Dark Lords ideas. Wasn't his father a pureblood? Shouldn't he have known better?

Harry sighed, he shouldn't judge his own parents so quickly until he knew the whole story. Besides, he'd come to learn, in his short time here, that Dumbledore was a very manipulative man. He had practically everyone but the Slytherins just eating out of his lemon drop bowl. How could they not see it? But Harry guessed that he couldn't exactly blame them, since everyone who didn't grow up in an old pureblood family wouldn't know the truth anyway. Harry's friends are lucky, because they grew up with parents who were right smack in the middle of it all. And now Harry was able to benefit from all this knowledge.

In a way, he was lucky that his parents hadn't lived, because if they had, he'd have grown up being friends with the Weasley's and worshiping that lemon drop obsessed fool of a Headmaster. The only thing that made him miss his parents was that he had to suffer the Dursley's. Other than that, he doesn't even remember them, aside from those dreams he's had seen he was a little kid; even then, he didn't know they were dreams of his parents until now… he had guessed, assumed and hoped, that they were memories, but his aunt had never given him a picture of his mother, so he'd had no way of really knowing for sure.

He did know why his Aunt hated him and his parents, though, and it wasn't because she's afraid of magic. In his opinion, it's simple, petty, jealousy. His mother had magic! She was special, she could do and see things that his Aunt could only dream of. If that wasn't enough, she was really smart, _and_ beautiful. His mother had it all going for her, and his Aunt Petunia was stuck being less than average in every way; worse than normal. So she's developed this deep seated anger and resentment that she masked as hate and/or fear for anything _not _normal.

…Of course, it was just a guess. Having Blaise Zabini for a roommate did that to a person. You learned to study every situation and person as deeply as you could, and developed your thoughts and theories for their behavior based on those observations.

"You…you might be right…" said Neville, interrupting Harry's musings. Harry almost jumped up in joy when he heard Neville agreeing with him. "…But…" continued the chubby, frightened boy, "I think I should ask my Gran first…and see what she says…"

Harry shrugged, "Sure, but you might wanna consider buying yourself a copy of this book." He said, pointing to his trunk, still open, _Stories From the War_ laying in plain sight at the top. "It's rare, but it's still being sold in the local bookshops, although the Ministry has added taxes on it, just to discourage people from buying it. They wanted to ban it altogether, but since it's considered _history_ there's some laws they weren't able to bypass…besides, the purebloods were all supporting the book, because it gives a pretty accurate representation of events from the last war…" Harry said, playing with his hands as he spoke, like he was speaking from memory, but his tone of voice didn't betray it completely.  
Neville looked pensive at Harry's words. He nodded, and set off to write a letter to his Grandmother immediately. Harry nodded to himself, in triumph, and closed his trunk, locking it.

The door slammed open, "You!" exclaimed an annoying high-strung voice. Harry groaned and turned around, fingering the wand in his pocket lightly. "…Me." He responded in a low voice.

"I"m not finished with you, Golden-Boy!" exclaimed the annoying voice belonging to Ronald Weasley. The rest of him was all tense, his old and extremely used robes hanging on him, looking even more tattered than when Harry first met the boy.

Harry sighed, "That's _Mr. Silver_-boy to you, _Ronnie-kins_!" he said mockingly. Ron went bright red, in anger and embarrassment, "I don't know who you think you are, Mr. I'm-too-high-and-mighty-to-hang-out-with-lowlives, but if Dumbledore tells you to be my friend and buy me stuff, then you obey! Got it?"

Harry tensed, and his lips curled in anger. "First of all, you answered your own question, _Ronny_, I really _am_ way too high above you to be lowering myself to even _breathing_ the same air as you, let alone having to be forced to _sleep_ in the same room with you! I don't care _what_ Dumbledore tells me, or _who_ he thinks he is! There's no way I would ever be your friend, or even buy you anything! I'd rather choke on a Galleon or give it to _Fudge_ than spend it on you! I _loath_ you! Don't you get it? You represent _everything_ that makes my life miserable! I would sooner befriend every Hufflepuff on _Earth_ than torture myself by even _thinking_ kind words to you!"

Ron growled loudly, and pulled out his wand, "Take this!" he yelled out, anger in his voice, and a purple light flew from his wand hitting Harry, who's eyes had gone wide. Harry's wand fell from his hands as the light hit him and washed over him, he fell to the floor, head hitting the side of his trunk.

"Harry!" yelled Neville in shock, pulling out his wand quickly, he pointed it at Ron, "expelliarmus!" he yelled loudly, shock still in his voice, and powering his spell in such a way that it hit Ron with a strength that made him fly back, body hitting against the wall outside the room. He fell down, unconscious, wand slipping from his fingers.

Neville stood in shock, his mouth slack, and his eyes wide. His arm still out, with his wand in his hand, being held with a strength that made him shake and turned his hand white. A cry escaped his mouth as he finally came to a few seconds later. "Harry!" he yelled again, falling on his knees right next to the unconscious boy-who-lived. He went to cradle the boy's head, and noticed he was bleeding. Neville panicked, "help!" he yelled, his mind completely blank, unable to think but for the few thoughts of the event running through his mind. All he could see was Harry, unconscious and bleeding, and Ron, unconscious also, out in the hallway. "Help, please!" he yelled again, his hand stained with Harry's blood.

Someone skidded into the room, a redhead with a P buttoned on his robes. "What happened!" he exclaimed, looking between Harry, and Ron. Neville stammered, shaken and afraid. "….Ron! He came in and started yelling at Harry, then cursed him with a purple lighted spell! I don't know what! Harry's bleeding! Please!"

Percy shook away his own shock, and quickly levitated Harry. The boy was bleeding, that took precedent over his own brother, who'd apparently instigated the incident. He ran out of the room, with a floating Harry ahead of him, Neville right behind him. Ron was left forgotten on the floor.

Running through the hallways, Neville panting behind him, Percy turned for a second, "Get Professor Snape and bring him to the Hospital Wing! Quickly!" he said, and Neville nodded and stopped running. Percy was quickly out of sight. Neville tried to catch his breath, hand on his chest, _I need to start working out_ he said to himself.

He walked around for a bit, before turning a corner, and walking down some stairwells. He spotted some students in green Slytherin robes and he didn't even hesitate. "Help me!" he yelled as he came up to them, the students, two boys and a girl who all looked to be older than him stared at him in shock, but Neville didn't notice. "I need Professor Snape! He's got to get to the Hospital Wing quickly!"

The Slytherin students noticed the chubby Gryffindor looked panicked, so they held off on the teasing…for now. "Why?" asked one of them, "it's urgent!" exclaimed Neville.

"It's Harry! …Potter!" he answered, "He's been injured! Ron Weasley cursed him with something and he was bleeding! He passed out! A prefect's taking him to the Hospital Wing!"

All the Slytherin students eyes went wide, and anger took hold. _That Weasley brat was gonna pay!_ They all thought at once. "Calm down! Come on, follow me." Said the tallest Slytherin, a dark haired boy, with tan skin.

They all started running, Neville panting _I hate running…_ he thought with ire as he followed the Slytherin older years.

Meanwhile… "I understand your concern, Lucius, I too would like to know where Harry Potter's been all these years, but Dumbledore just isn't talking, he says it's for the greater good that anything about Harry's life remains a secret." Said Minister Fudge, sitting on his desk with his arms crossed. Lucius sighed, _this is going to take some cunning… _he thought to himself, "Minister, I do understand the Headmaster's concern…but really, he's an old man, and I think his methods should be questioned. After all, he has many students to look after at Hogwarts and he doesn't have the time to really think his decisions through.

"Also," Lucius continued, "Harry Potter is the last remaining heir of a powerful and _rich_ family, and yet, my son informs me that he seemed to be completely ignorant of his position… and his clothing left much to be desired. In light of what's happened to that poor innocent Muggleborn, we should question what exactly Dumbledore wants to keep secret that he seems so concerned that we shouldn't know anything. Has a Will even been read?"

Minister Fudge looked thoughtful, _the last heir of a rich family…if I help him…he'd be extremely grateful.._ He thought to himself, "I haven't heard anything about a Will either….all I know is that the Potter vaults are still in use, and money is being taken on a monthly basis…I simply assumed that all that money was being used to care for Mr. Potter….but if what you say about him is true….about his clothes and him being ignorant of who he is…then what's the money being used for?"

"Exactly, Minister, that's the right question! What's been happening in the life of Harry Potter? And why is Dumbledore being so secretive? He isn't the boy's master and ruler, they're not even related… When it comes down to the good of a child, it shouldn't matter how _famous_ Dumbledore is! It is our right to question, to investigate and make the right inquiries to the right people! You're the _Minister_, Fudge, you have the power to make things happen for the good of Harry Potter. You should find out if a Will has been read! Find out from the Goblins what Harry's money's being used for! They'll be more than willing to find out, especially because Harry's the last heir to the Potter fortune!" Lucius finished speaking and sipped from his conjured Italian coffee. Conjured coffee never tasted quite as good as fresh made….but he so loved his coffee, it would have to make do for now…

Lucius was worried, he'd gotten the Urgent letter from his son, in which he explained how they'd read from the mudblood's journal that Dumbledore was Harry's guardian. It sounded suspicious, he didn't trust in it. James Potter might have been on the opposite side in the last war, but there were some things all Purebloods believed in, whether they were Light or Dark, and that was the importance of family. James wouldn't have trusted just anybody with his only son's safety, let alone Dumbledore… even if James followed Dumbledore like a little _dog_, he would never have left Guardianship of his only heir to an Old Man at the front of an important war! It didn't make sense… for that matter, the Pettygrew situation was pretty suspect, too.

Regardless, his current goal was to make the Minister suspicious, and get his backing for when he announced his intentions of getting _at least _a temporary Guardianship of the boy until they found his true Guardian.

"I'm gonna work right away on making an official Gringotts inquiry on the Potter accounts! That should lead to questions on the Will…." Announced the Minister, and Lucius smiled triumphantly.

"In the meantime, Minister, I think it would be prudent if someone _trustworthy_ was in charge of boy….mmhh? …At least until this _Will_ mess is resolved and a proper guardian set by the parents can be established?" Lucius said, his voice slow and normal, as if this was a thought that just occurred to him.

The Minister nodded in agreement, distractedly, while he called on someone outside the room. The door opened, and a small toad-like woman walked inside, slowly, with a creepily sweet smile on her face.

"Can I be of any assistance, Minister?" she asked, "yes, yes…I need you to file an official inquiry on the Potter family. And…I believe someone will need to be asked…uhm, Lucius, if you would volunteer, maybe?" started the Minister, and Lucius raised an eyebrow, "volunteer?" he asked, curiously.

"Ah, yes, to take of Harry Potter, of course….I realize you are a busy man, but, more than anyone, I trust you to have Potter's best interest in mind… after all, you brought it up, yes?"

Lucius almost showed the shock he felt in his features, he knew it'd be easy….but this was…even better than expected. The Minister himself was asking him to Volunteer to take guardianship of the boy, he didn't even have to ask for it. This made everything even easier than he had planned for.

"Minister…I would be _honored_ to volunteer to apply for Guardianship of Harry Potter." He answered, "but I hope you realize this will have to be done fast, no? Dumbledore has many allies within the Ministry, surely as soon as word gets out, he will find out and attempt to establish _himself_ as Harry Potter's guardian. As you well know, this cannot be allowed to happen. Who knows where the boy will end up if it does…" he finished.

"I agree, Minister. I can get started with this right away, if it pleases you, and file Lucius application myself, along with the inquiry." Said the toad woman, Umbridge.

Minister Fudge nodded in agreement, " yes, that's true. Please go do that. Make sure Lucius Application is given _top_ priority, I want this to be done quickly and quietly, preferably by the end of day, yes? That would be best. And once it goes through, even if Dumbledore finds out, it'll be too late…. He'll be able to contest it, but it'll take much time, and in the meantime, Mr. Potter will _already_ be in Lucius capable hands."

Umbridge nodded, and quickly took the necessary paperwork and information from Lucius, who ordered a house elf to bring it to him. No more than half an hour later, Umbridge left the office with all the necessary paperwork to begin the inquiry, and application process. She would make sure the application went through _real_ fast. Harry Potter _must_ be given the proper guidance, and how _dare_ Dumbledore assume that _he_ knows better than the Minister. She huffed and walked faster.

**End of Chapter~**

**Chiyoku says: **I hope you guys enjoyed it, no matter that I feel like it ends abruptly….but I thought there's some pretty interesting stuff here regardless….I'll try to work on the next chapter faster. Promise!

By the way, remember to check out my profile if you happen to be curious about when I'll update next….I'll probably make a profile update about two weeks from today…I should have made _some_ progress on chp 12 by then…

Remember to Review! Thanks!


	12. Chapter 12

**Chiyoku says: **Hey! I guess it's been too long since I updated last… I apologize, and my excuse is simply life and its many stressful situations. I can't believe so many months passed since I last updated.

I'm so happy everyone's enjoying this story. I was planning this whole thing that I was gonna say….but now I forgot what it was. XD

So…

**Enjoy!**

**Alternation Nation**

**A fanfiction by Chiyoku Shibata**

_**Recap: **__Draco gets angry and worried when he finds out, through Granger's Journal, that Dumbledore is Harry's Magical Guardian. He immediately writes to his father about it, and sends it off. Draco and the rest get caught by Dumbledore on the way back from the Owlery, and Harry gets taken to Gryffindor house. After being left alone, Harry talks to Neville about the incident involving Bellatrix and his parents, and Ron interrupts, angry that Harry isn't following Dumbledore's commands to be friends with him. Ron curses Harry, and Neville curses Ron. Meanwhile, Lucius is at the Ministry talking with Fudge, and manages to convince the man to start an investigation into several things involving Harry, and he also gets temporary custody of Harry._

**Chapter 12: Schemes of the Silver kind**

"Just what is all the ruckus?" exclaimed Madam Pomfrey, as she walked out of her office. Percy laid Harry in the first bed he saw, and turned to her, straightening with self importance. "Harry Potter was injured by Ronald Weasley, and now he's unconscious and bleeding."

Madam Pomfrey's eyes widened and she hurried over to the boy. She cast a couple of diagnostic spells, and frowned, while she took a chart and started writing her findings on it. "Anything else you know about what happened?" she asked, looking at Percy for a second before looking at her chart again.

"I was heading to do some rounds when I heard someone screaming for help. It was coming from the first year's dorm in Gryffindor House-" he started explaining, but he was interrupted at that point, by Madam Pomfrey, "what was Harry Potter doing in the Gryffindor dorms? He's a Slytherin."

"I was there when he first came in, the Headmaster brought him in and made him a Gryffindor." He answered, and Madam Pomfrey was shocked, and confused. Wasn't it only the hat that could sort the students?

"…Continue, please." She said, and Percy nodded, before he continued with his version of events. "I heard someone screaming for help, and when I came around the corner, I saw Ron…. Ronald, against the wall and laying on the ground, unconscious, inside the room was Harry Potter, also unconscious, and bleeding. Another first year….Neville, I think, had Harry's head on his lap and he was crying and shocked. He told me that Ron had provoked Harry and then cursed him with something purple, and then Neville retaliated by casting Expelliarmus on Ron. I immediately levitated Harry, and brought him here. I told Neville to get Professor Snape. That's it…"

Madam Pomfrey nodded, without looking at the Prefect; all weirdness of the situation aside, she was trying to think what spells she knew would come out purple. Of course, if this had been the result of accidental wish magic, then who knew _what_ it could be. She'd seen it many times in the past, a student casting a spell without actually saying anything, simply as a result of a particularly strong emotion… in this case, anger, and a desire to harm, most likely.

She shook her head as she healed whatever she could, the bleeding simply a result of being thrown back by the magic, and hitting something, whether a bed or a chair, she didn't know, but it was a simple thing to heal. Meanwhile she started to think, Harry Potter was now the second student this year to be injured directly and/or indirectly, by both Ronald Weasley and Dumbledore himself.

When this came out, _if_ it came out, it wouldn't look good at all. Of course, considering the fact that she _had_ read the article in the Prophet that same morning, it wasn't unlikely that it could, and probably would, come out. Thankfully, being a healer, made her completely neutral in all these situations. Almost every healer she knew had taken oaths, they were required to be able to receive a Mastery in healing. Those that didn't take oaths, weren't trusted in normal circles and they most likely weren't very good in the first place.

She sighed when she realized there wasn't much she could do for Harry Potter. The boy didn't seem to be physically injured, and a simple Enervate didn't do the trick in waking him up. It might be a simple matter of waiting until he woke up on his own. But it would probably be better to send him off to a specialist. Not that Dumbledore will allow that, unless someone else interferes and the man is given no choice.

Neville huffed, and rubbed the back of his hand against his forehead to dry the drops of sweat. He was so tired of running, but thankfully, his tiredness was working as a shield against the fear he would normally feel in the presence of Slytherins _and _Professor Snape.

The Slytherins did the talking, and they quickly started making their way to the Hospital Wing. Professor Snape, though, ended up asking Neville the whole story, since he was there when the whole thing went down. Neville explained, but he stared at the floor the whole time, since he wasn't _that_ brave.

Snape was surprised that Dumbledore had acted so fast, but with the anger the man had felt when he read the article, it shouldn't have been _that_ surprising. Still, he better write Lucius with the update, he knew Lucius was already acting on the last letter he had sent through Draco, which was not that long ago, now that he thought about it. Things were progressing faster than he liked, and he hoped that Lucius was acting fast, as well.

"You three, go back to what you were doing. Longbottom, keep walking with me." Instructed Snape, he needed to get Longbottom on his own for some moments, and his Slytherins probably wanted to spread the word about what the idiot Weasley did to Potter.

Soon, Neville was walking behind Professor Snape, watching the man and then looking away, and when they were finally right outside the Hospital Wing, in a section without any portraits, he saw Professor Snape conjure some parchment, and a quill. The man wrote a quick note, and folded it, before turning to look at him, with a look on his face that was more serious than usual.

"I will give you this note, and I'm trusting you to go and send it off right away, to Lucius Malfoy. Do you understand?" said Snape, and Longbottom looked at him with a mix of curiosity and fear. "I'm giving this to you so no one suspects it's a note from me. It is very important that no one but Lucius Malfoy reads this, and it is very important he reads it as soon as possible." He finished explaining.

Neville sniffed, "is it… is it about Harry?" he asked, his voice low and hesitant. Snape thought for a few seconds, then, "yes, it's about what happened."

Neville nodded slowly and took the note, putting it in his robe's inner pocket quickly. Then he made an insightful comment that had Snape thinking twice about just how stupid he always thought Neville Longbottom was, "you don't want the Headmaster to know you're contacting Lord Malfoy, and he would never suspect you of trusting _me,_ of all people." He said, almost whispering it to himself, but loud enough for Professor Snape to hear.

Snape didn't do anything to answer the boy's comment, and the boy went off, leaving Snape to go into the infirmary by himself.

Madam Pomfrey was there, walking around, and occasionally casting another diagnostic spell on Harry, while the Gryffindor Prefect, another Weasley…. Lucky him… was standing guard besides Harry's bed.

After getting the boy's story of events, he asked about where Ronald was, to which the boy answered by widening his eyes and excusing himself. Percy had forgotten about Ron! His little brother was probably still just laying there, unconscious, not that he didn't deserve it.

Meanwhile, Neville was walking furtively through the hallways, trying to avoid attention. He was being pretty successful, considering it was a Sunday. There were no classes on Sunday, and most of the students were hanging around their own common rooms, and walking around the grounds. It was then that Neville realized it was already noon, which meant that everyone would be heading to the Great Hall for lunch already. _That explains why I haven't run into anyone, yet_. He thought to himself, soon he was walking into the common room, he looked around as he headed towards the stairs, _there's no one around, good._ He thought as he walked up to his room.

"Oh…" he whispered when he saw Ron still unconscious on the floor. He licked his lips, uncertain, before taking a deep breath and walking into his dorm room, and closing the door. He left Ron exactly where he was, unconscious on the floor, outside the first year's dorm room.

"Trevor?" he whispered, looking around the room. Soon, his little pet appeared hopping around the corner of a bed. Neville smiled, everyone always made fun of him for having a toad as a pet, but what no one knew was that Trevor _wasn't_ just a pet. And that was one of the Longbottom family secrets, Trevor was a magical toad that had been trained, by one of his family members, to carry mail.

Neville kneeled in front of Trevor, and took Professor Snape's letter from his inner pocket. "Trevor, this letter is very important. I'm trusting you with it because no one can see you delivering it." He explained, and the toad croaked and stared at him.

"It's a letter for Lord Lucius Malfoy, it's urgent, so deliver it right away, alright?" said Neville, as he showed the letter to Trevor, before sticking it right on the back of the Toad. The letter stayed there as if it was stuck with glue. "O.k., go, now."

Trevor croaked again, and hopped away before disappearing with a pop right on the spot. Neville smiled in satisfaction, there was almost no safer way to send secure mail than his little Trevor. Of course, Neville never imagined he'd willingly use Trevor to send a letter from Snape to Malfoy Sr, of all people. But there was something about Harry Potter that just got to him, and made him doubt everything that his grandmother had been telling him all along.

He'd always believed that Bellatrix Lestrange had tortured his parents simply because she was a death eater, and according to his Grandmother, that's just what death eaters do. He'd never imagined that the story of his parent's torture wasn't as simple as everyone made it out to be. According to Harry Potter's book, Bellatrix had been tortured by Aurors for months, before she finally escaped. Of course, now Neville figured he'd have to buy himself a copy of the book, he wants to investigate this himself.

Trevor, meanwhile, appeared in a building full of people. He hid himself in a dark corner, because he could sense the person he was looking for was walking this way. He croaked once, and spotted his target, it was a very tall human with light hair. He waited until his target was about to turn the corner, right where he was standing, and he croaked loudly and hopped on the man's foot.

Lucius stopped short when he felt something jump on his foot. He looked down, and frowned, it was the oddest sight; a toad with a letter. He looked around, just to make sure that no one was looking at him, and he quickly leaned down and grabbed the toad. He frowned, looking into the eyes of the toad. The toad in question croaked and shifted uncomfortably. _Just grab the letter, so I can go back to my Master_, thought Trevor, directing the thought to his target.

Lucius was startled when he heard the voice coming from the toad. Then he stared at the letter, and noticed it had his name on it. He grabbed it and gently put the toad back on the floor. The toad hopped once and disappeared with a pop.

Lucius raised an eyebrow, _well, I've seen oddest things than that…I think…_ he thought to himself, before he decided to open the letter now, and not wait until he got back home, as he would usually do. He had only just left the Minister's office, and was heading to the first floor to floo back home. He was rather proud of all he had accomplished.

Now he figured, though, that if this letter delivering toad had found him here, it must be that the letter it was carrying is important. Thankfully, since it was a Sunday, a lot of people had the day off, so the Ministry wasn't very busy. It also meant that Umbridge had been able to pull the most important paperwork through fast, without much interference. Now he was the proud guardian of Harry Potter. Normally, such paperwork wouldn't go through so fast, but, due to the circumstances surrounding it, Umbridge had used her power as undersecretary to the Minister, to work with a loophole that had allowed the paperwork to go through at lightning speed.

_Let's see…oh, it's from Severus…_ he thought to himself, as he opened the letter. It was a short, but alarming, note.

"_Dumbledore has shown me a document that grants him guardianship of Harry Potter. I think it's fake, but he's already used it and moved Harry Potter to Gryffindor. It had bad consequences, Ronald Weasley injured Harry Potter, and now he resides unconscious in the Hospital Wing. Neville Longbottom is a witness, and he injured Ronald Weasley as instinct, in retaliation. I'm afraid for Harry Potter, he's vulnerable while unconscious, who knows what compulsions Dumbledore might try to cast on him. Get here, fast!"_

Lucius almost saw red as he finished reading the note, and he walked towards one of the fireplaces on the first floor, and flooed away. _No going home now…there's no rest for the wicked…_ he thought to himself as he left.

Lucius stalked through the hallways of Hogwarts like a bird of prey whose chicks had been injured, and he knew just who the one responsible was.

"Dumbledore, step away from the boy!" he intoned loudly, as he stepped into the Hospital Wing. Dumbledore turned to look at him, a twinkle in his eyes, and a small smile adorning his wrinkled face. "I'm afraid I can't do that, Lucius. You see, Harry here is my ward, and as such, I can do whatever I like to him. You have no power here, so I suggest you leave."

They were alone in the infirmary, Harry was laying unconscious on a bed in the middle of the room, and Dumbledore had been standing next to him with his wand in his hand, staring into the boy's head, trying to read his thoughts and memories.

Lucius frowned and sneered, "That's where you're wrong, Albus. I have here a notarized document, signed by the Minister himself, _and_ by the head of the Department of Children services. It states that as of right now, Harry Potter is under my care, pending a legal investigation into the actions taken by those assuming any guardianship of him from the moment his parents were declared legally dead."

Albus frowned, angered and slightly confused, his grip on his wand tightened but his eyes never lost their blasted twinkle. "I'm afraid all of that is not necessary, you see, I've been the boy's legal Guardian all this time, I have a document signed with magic with the names of his parents, _and_ with Harry's signature as an infant. It assigns _me_ as his legal guardian, thus, anything that concerns him is under my jurisdiction."

Lucius smirked, his eyes reflecting anger, "I'm afraid you don't understand the situation, Albus. This document I have overrides any others for as long as Harry's situation remains unresolved. There is an open investigation right now in regards of just _where_ Harry Potter has been living all this time, _why_ he has been disappeared for all these years, and, in cooperation with the Gringotts Goblins, finding out if the Potter's had a Will and _why_ it hasn't been read.

Looking at Harry now, I can assure you charges of Child endangerment and abuse _will_ be added into the investigation."

Albus almost growled, but contained himself when Madam Pomfrey bustled back into the Hospital Wing with Potions in her hands and Professor Snape in tow.

"I have a lawyer, _and_ Aurors on standby, _should_ you prove to be unwilling to cooperate, of course." Said Lucius, a triumphant look in his eyes, and a small wining smile on his face that only served to infuriate Albus all the more.

Albus realized there was nothing much he could do without making things worse for himself, he didn't know how the man had found out so much, and how he'd been able to act so fast; but Albus would make it his goal to find out what the man knew, and how to prevent him from finding out more.

But for now, Albus swallowed his rage, as his eyes darted between Madam Pomfrey, who was using her wand to check on Harry's vitals, and Professor Snape, who was studiously ignoring Albus in favor of rummaging through his bag of emergency potions.

Those two would be no help to him, Severus and Lucius had been friends practically since Severus started Hogwarts, with Lucius just two years ahead. And Madam Pomfrey had taken a magical oath when she graduated as a Medi-Witch that the welfare of her patients would always come first.

"Very well, but I demand to present for whatever medical treatments you have planned….for the good of Mr. Potter, of course, I am still his Headmaster…" Albus trailed off, then, his eyes lighting up again, and a small smile finding its way to his lips. "_I _am still his Headmaster, as such, I say Mr Potter needs to remain in the school, under the care of our Medi-Witch, after all, he was injured on school grounds."

Lucius sniffed in disdain, staring at Albus up and down as if he was staring at a dirty beggar, which of course, Albus was anything but. His family was perhaps never really wealthy, especially with his sister's sickness, but Albus had the wealth of Hogwarts at his disposal, one which he was accustomed to using with abandon for his own material needs. Lemon drops and eccentric robes didn't come cheap, after all, but still, when Lucius stared at him just like that, he felt like running to a mirror.

"I'm afraid, _Headmaster_, that we will be unable to comply to that request. My word is, as of right now, as good as if _I _was Harry Potter's biological parent. Therefore, you cannot force the boy to stay here against my will, especially with said child currently unconscious because _you_ decided to move him to Gryffindor Towers." Said Lucius, his voice strong, and in control.

Albus frowned, and his lips curled into a small sneer, but he didn't say anything. He was still standing in between Harry, who was being tended to by Snape and Pomfrey, and Lucius, who was by the door. Suddenly he took a deep breath, and nodded, before slowly walking away from the bed.

Lucius refrained from making any noise or comment, although he was quite annoyed at the fact that Dumbledore was acting as if he was being gracious in moving away and allowing Lucius to get close to Harry.

"Dobby," he started to speak, and the small and jumpy house elf appeared with a pop, right next to his master. Lucius stared at the creature for a few seconds, before looking back at Harry, still unconscious but seemingly not in pain. "Gather all of Harry Potter's belongings and take them back to the manor."

"Dobby will do that, master." Said Dobby with his high voice, before disappearing once more. Lucius approached the bed, and took a slow deep breath as he stared at the boy.

Harry looked like he was simply sleeping, but he just wouldn't wake up. What had that awful boy done? No matter, first he should get Harry away from here, then he would deal with…_Ronald Weasley…_

Lucius already had his own personal Medi-Wizard on standby at the Manor, along with 2 aurors on loan from the ministry, for protection of the last heir of the Potter line, of course. The Aurors had come with him, and they were waiting outside the castle along with two others who had only come to escort them until they were safely inside Malfoy Manor.

Lucius didn't want to involve Severus any more than necessary, he wanted the man to have plausible deniability, since he would have to remain here at Hogwarts, and he did need whatever the Headmaster could offer him. Protection from the ministry, for one, since Lucius would need to sacrifice the certain image he was portraying if he lended his support to Severus. After all, it was only thanks to Dumbledore's word, saying that Severus had been a spy, that had kept the man from going to Azkaban.

"Madame Pomfrey, if there is anything of importance you found while checking on Mr. Potter, I would appreciate it if you would contact this man, at my Manor" said Lucius, handing the woman a piece of parchment with the name of his personal Medi-Wizard written down. Lucius was aware of Madam Pomfrey's oath, and he figured it would probably include whatever person she will contact in regards with Harry Potter's health. Lucius didn't want Dumbledore to hear the name of the man that would be in his home, and taking care of his new charge.

Madame Pomfrey nodded, and read the note before throwing it in the lit up fireplace. Dumbledore sneered, and scoffed, before looking away and sporting a blank look.

_That man just thinks of everything, don't he…._ Thought Dumbledore to himself, with a mental pout. "There's no need for such secrecy, you know, I'm not the muggle devil, I just want what's best for the boy." Said Dumbledore with a pout, his arms crossed, and looking away.

Lucius raised an eyebrow and turned around to face the Headmaster, "from what little I know of the situation with this boy….your definition of what's best for him leaves a lot to be desired. But if you honestly believe that, then I suggest you help, by getting out of my way."

Now Dumbledore turned back to Lucius and narrowed his eyes, his arms now by his sides, fingers twitching as he contained himself from reaching for his wand. "I won't, Lucius. Because you are not what's best for Harry. All you want is to turn him into another _Draco_. Worshiping the ground you walk on, and practicing Dark Spells on his free time. You don't care about Harry, all you want is the prestige of raising him, the power you'll gain within the Ministry by having him under your control!"

Lucius scoffed, "yes, because you know a little about that, don't you. But the difference is, _Albus_, that I actually _care_ about the boy. I want him to be healthy, and I want to teach him all that his _pureblood_ father would have taught him if he hadn't been killed under such suspicious circumstances."

"What do you mean suspicious, Lucius! Voldemort killed him and Lily, everyone knows that! And how dare you bring it up! You of all people! Such disrespect is exactly what I want to shield Harry from!" exploded Albus, his anger palpable, and his wand in his hand.

"No one _really_ knows what happened, Albus. After all, it all happened so fast. By the time anyone knew that the Potters were dead, Harry was gone and all anyone had was _your_ word that he was someplace safe. And from what _you_ yourself told everyone, the only witnesses of what happened are all dead except for Harry Potter. The aurors weren't even able to find anything because the air was too saturated with magic, or at least that's what they wrote in their reports…so don't you dare lecture me about what's disrespectful and what's not.

"Besides, it's not like I lied. James may have worshipped the ground you walked on, but he was a pureblood, through and through. And as the last heir of his family, his parents would have been eager to teach him all there is to know. And I know I'm right about that because, as a child, I met James' parents at a society party. Time has a way distorting reality, Albus, you know that.

"But enough of this, I will take my leave now and take Harry with me." He finished speaking, and levitated Harry and walked away with the boy floating in front of him. Madam Pomfrey wanted to help, but Lucius left before she could say anything. It was probably for the best anyways, since Albus had a way of being able to go around magical oaths to get even a scrap of information from someone if he really wanted to.

Albus almost growled, but he moved out of the way and allowed them to leave. It would be detrimental to his cause if he got in the way, and as they say, _live to fight another day; _and that's what Albus decided to do, stand down now, and immediately contact his supporters at the Ministry. He didn't know how in the hell Lucius had managed to act so fast, but he would find out. There's no way anything Lucius did to get the paperwork so fast was legal. He needed to dig up some dirt and _fast_, before the investigation actually got started, and they found something…. And Albus knew, whatever people Lucius had working on this, would find something, since Albus hadn't acted in exactly any legal way.

Not that Albus felt his actions were wrong, exactly, since they were for the good of the boy. Albus didn't want the boy to grow up independent and under the influence of rich purebloods that were _not_ under his control. Which he knew that's exactly what would have happened. If, or rather, _when_ they start asking questions, there would be a lot more question and suspicions being dug up than answers, and a lot of those questions would lead them directly to Albus.

_Blast it…I need to act fast!_ He thought to himself, and he left the Hospital Wing to go back to his office. _First order of business….find out how serious Malfoy was, and if his threats and boasts about having the Ministry on his back about this was honest…I need to contact…mmhh….Kingsley Shacklebolt. I need to distance myself from the Weasley's for a while… between the Articles in the prophet, and now Ron's stupidity….no, it won't do at all to be seen with them…at least publicly. _

_I need to make sure someone within the Ministry talks about what Lucius' true intentions might be. _Thought Albus to himself, as he rubbed his chin in thought, _he's hardly doing this out of the goodness of his heart, I just have to make sure someone finds proof of his deceit. _Albus smirked, and went right back to planning.

Harry, meanwhile, found himself in the dark, floating in nothing; unaware of where he was going, or what the people around him were planning. He didn't wonder to himself _why?_, or even where he might be, he just allowed himself to float in the nothing that surrounded him.

Then he found himself falling, and he felt a sensation of vertigo settle in his stomach. The darkness gave way to the sky, light blue, and light fluffy clouds which he just fell through fast, yet gently. He saw buildings forming way underneath him, and suddenly he wasn't falling anymore. He looked around, and noticed he was standing in the middle of a street.

People walked by him, ignoring him, as if he wasn't even there. Harry looked around confused, and then he was drawn to a building across the street. The building had a big front yard behind a tall metallic fence, and there were kids playing in the yard. Harry saw a wooden sign by the open door of the fence that read _Orphanage, _and after reading it, he walked in wearily.

One of the big reasons why he had never told anyone about how much his relatives hated him was because his Aunt and Uncle had made him fear Orphanages. They would tell him stories about how much kids were hated and tortured in those places, starved and then sold as slaves to families. They were probably exaggerating, but Harry wasn't going to take any chances anyways.

Still, this time Harry wasn't afraid to walk into this Orphanage, mostly because the kids in there actually seemed happy, and secondly, because Harry was pretty sure he was dreaming. Since the last thing he remembered was…standing in the Gryffindor common room, trying to convince Neville that his parents were to blame for their own demise, and then….oh, _Ronald_ had attacked him.

_Great_, Harry thought with a roll of his eyes, _so I'm unconscious, then?_ He added to himself, shaking his head, then he was startled when a kid ran right through him. _Sheesh…I'm not dead….am I?_ He added with a scoff. But then Harry decided he would know if he was dead, especially since all this seemed too surreal to _be_ actually _real_, so.

Still, the question remained, where in the hell was he? Why would he be dreaming of an Orphanage? And…why didn't it feel like a normal dream? Harry knew it wasn't a normal dream because he felt very much in control of his actions.

It was when he was walking around the yard, thinking and observing the playing kids, that Harry saw him. A kid was watching him, he looked younger than Harry, and he was staring at him from the inside of the building. The kid didn't look very happy, and he was alternatively staring at Harry and at the other kids as they played.

Suddenly he pointed at Harry and motioned for him to get close, so harry did. He was just too curious about the first person in this weird dream who could see him. Harry walked over to the closed window behind which the kid was standing, it was low and close to the ground, so when the kid opened the window, Harry was easily able to grab the offered hand and climb up and inside what turned out to be a small room.

Harry turned around and looked outside again, as the kid closed the window. No one had noticed, so Harry turned back and looked around the room. It was a small and sad room; quite bare, just a small bed, with a thin mattress and a cheap looking armoire. But Harry decided it was still infinitely better than his cupboard at the Dursley's. This place was roomier, and it even had a big window, whereas at the Dursley's there wasn't even any space to stand up straight anymore.

"Hi, Harry." Greeted the kid, from his place on the edge on the bed. Harry almost jumped, since he hadn't been expecting the kid to speak to him.

"Hi," greeted Harry, once his heart stopped trying to jump out of his chest, "…uhm …do you live here?" he asked with a small frown, as he looked around. He didn't even wonder how the kid knew his name, since this was a dream, after all, albeit a weird one.

The kid matched Harry's frown, but there was a certain measure of disgust and hate in that gaze that Harry found startling. "…In a manner of speaking, yes… I do live here, for the moment, at least."

"Oh."

"Sit, please. We need to talk." Said the boy in a serious tone of voice, to which Harry instinctively asked, "am I in trouble?" but the boy's eyes widened slightly at the question and he laughed, clearly amused.

"No, Harry, you're not in trouble. Now sit, here." Finished the boy, patting the space next to him on the bed. The boy seemed friendly enough, so harry sat down next to him, and it was a nice change of pace for Harry. He was used to dreaming about a red-headed woman and a man that was always next to her. It was a nice dream sometimes, when they weren't screaming in fright, and Harry was now pretty sure they were his parents. If it weren't for the screams, the green light, and the man yelling something about someone named Peter, it would almost be a nice dream to have all the time.

So, yes, Harry was grateful that he didn't have to bare the burden of the dream he always has, especially if his suspicions are correct and he's currently unconscious.

Harry was surprised when he stared at the boy, although he looked younger, he also looked older all the same. It was strange, but Harry felt as if he was being stared at by someone in the same level of Dumbledore, or Snape; someone, if not wise, then at least way older than him, someone that has seen a lot, and knows a lot. And although the boy at times gave him the same disconcerting feeling that Dumbledore gave him, as if he was trying to read him and figure him out, Harry wasn't scared or angry at this boy because of it.

"What's your name?" asked Harry, when he realized he still didn't know.

The boy then smiled, his smile seemed friendly enough, but there was something hidden behind that smiled, and Harry wasn't sure what it was. "My name is Tom…Tom Riddle." Answered the boy.

Harry was shocked, "Tom Riddle? I've heard of you! The sorting hat told me I reminded him of you! …But…why am I dreaming of you? And, why does this dream feel so real?"

Tom thought carefully about what to answer, he knew he had to be as honest as possible to gain the boy's trust, but he wasn't about to say he had once been Voldemort. "…Magic, obviously, Harry." He answered with an amused laugh. "I… feel real enough, but I think I'm in your head…or connected to you in some way."

Harry was shocked again, and more than a bit confused, "you're real? And, you're in my head? But…"

Tom shrugged, "I don't really know how, Harry." _And that's true enough…_ he thought to himself, "I can't begin to guess…all I know is that I feel real, and I'm in your head…and I know_ that_," he started explaining, as he saw Harry's confused and wondering expression, "…because I have access to your mind, to your thoughts and memories…"

Harry suddenly felt violated of his most sacred privacy, this kid had access to _everything_ in his _head_? A mind is supposed to be safe from intruders, and accessible only to the person it belongs to.

Tom chuckled, "I'm sorry I'm laughing, Harry. But you clearly haven't been in the Wizarding World enough time, yet. Remember what the Headmaster tried to do to you during mealtime? When he tried to read your mind?" Harry nodded, "yeah…I could feel memories flashing through without me consciously thinking about them..I didn't like it."

Tom nodded, "well, that's only one way to read people's minds. There's many others that someone can learn. As for what happened between us, though… that was clearly an accident. I'm sorry, Harry."

Harry could feel that Tom's apology ran so much deeper than simply having read his mind, but he just couldn't figure out why. Tom continued speaking, "I can't give you a reason for our situation, I'm afraid…" _because if I did you'd just become afraid of me…_ "but, my best guess is something happened that must have formed a connection between us…and then, whatever this Ron person did to you, awakened me…so to say."

Harry, frowned thoughtfully, "the night that Voldemort tried to kill me? Everyone says it was impossible…of course, no one was actually _there_ so no one _really_ knows what happened…but, it was…a… _magical…_event, so…"

Tom frowned, as if thoughtful, but inside he was more than just thoughtful. Since the night he had attacked Harry Potter, and accidentally placed a part of his soul inside the boy, he had been asleep, in a way. He had been sealed off, unable to move, just barely able to think. He had been trapped, and his anger had grown all that time; anger at Harry Potter, anger at Dumbledore…anger at himself. But ever since Ronald Weasley had cast, whatever it is he accidentally cast, he had been able to escape his confine and connect with Harry Potter's mind.

In short, after seeing everything the boy had gone through, from his life at his muggle relatives house, to him being sorted into Slytherin…and Dumbledore possibly being his guardian. Tom had been feeling… something, he wasn't sure what it was… remorse… guilt… maybe even a sense of… companionship, a connection, with the boy. He, too, had had a harsh life.

Looking back, Tom wasn't even sure what made him go from aspiring politician to crazed, maniacal killer. It sure didn't make sense to him… there was something missing here, but he didn't know _what_ and that's what concerned him the most.

At the same time that Harry continued having this weird _non_dream, Lucius had finally gotten Harry through the wards of his Manor and had immediately surrendered control of the boy to his personal Medi-Wizard. The man was highly paid, and was one of the few English Medi-Wizards that were very sought after, the man was a genius in his field. He also had taken a very well worded Oath, written by Lucius himself, which meant there was no way to circumvent it and the man could be trusted with Harry's care, while Lucius left to take care of other things.

Lucius chuckled to himself as he entered his private office. He knew Dumbledore would try to overturn his word, but Lucius was smarter than that. Nothing he had done was actually _illegal_, as Dumbledore probably suspected. He had simply traded favors, and used his gift of the tongue to convince the Minister and his aids that helping him get custody fast was the best thing for all involved. All the right paperwork had gone through faster than one could cast _lumos_.

_Really, I owe Umbridge a nice gift, perhaps a new pink robe…_ he thought to himself, and chuckled again out loud. It's going to be amusing having Dumbledore and his little band of merry blood traitors running around like a kicked over ant hill, trying to find any _dirt_ on him.

_Speaking of blood traitors…I'm due at the hospital in an hour…today is the arranged visit for the mudblood's parents. Amazing that she's still unconscious, really, she must have used a lot of magic…and that reminds me! _He thought to himself, realization setting in, _that idiotic kid, Ronald Weasley, is responsible now for two children being unconscious…the first one only indirectly, but the insults he threw at the mudblood were almost worthy of respect, if only the boy belonged to an non blood traitorous family… and the second one, cursing the boy who lived himself! With a member of a noble family as a witness! _

"Why would they think I need to lower myself to illegal acts, when they hand me over the poison to kill them, all so nicely wrapped in such a pretty package?" he asked himself in a whisper.

He quickly contacted his lawyers, and flooed over to their office, after letting a house elf know. Lucius has a rather important group of lawyers in his payroll, they have an office only a block away from the Ministry, and they have helped him many times. They are very good at what they do, if you pay them enough, and it is thanks to them that Lucius never gets caught.

Everything he does is legal, barely at times, but well legal. Thanks to loopholes in the laws that his lawyers know about. And it was them that suggested he be kind to the muggleborn and her parents. It really helped his career, since his approval rate is at an all time high. As long as he speaks out in favor of the poor injured muggleborn, no one will question anything else he wants to do. Especially since it was thanks to the same person that now the boy-who-lived is unconscious as well. Well, thanks to Ronald Weasley, and thanks to the headmaster as well.

"I've got an update for you, Leon." Said Lucius as he strolled into his lawyer's office. "I'm all ears, Mr. Malfoy." Answered the tall, dark haired man, wearing a smart muggle suit, with an open robe. Calling someone as high class as Lucius Malfoy, _Mister_, was a way to denote closeness on a professional level, otherwise he'd be referred to as _Lord_, or simply Lucius, but he wasn't _that _close with the man.

"You're going to like this one very much." Said Lucius with a triumphant smirk before sitting on a comfy chair. His lawyer returned the smirk and summoned a house elf for snacks before he checked on the security charms on the office. It was all standard procedure, especially for high end clients like the Malfoy's, of course, most clients of this office were high end, but still… soon they were both comfortable, and Lucius started talking.

It was going to be a while before he finished. There were several things in play right now, and this new addition was going to do wonders with the rest of it.

"Enervate" intoned Percy in a clear voice. He had finally gotten back to his brother and laid him down in what he thought was his bed. Neville had sneaked past him with his eyes on the ground, he thought the boy had been doing, but soon forgot about thinking of him, since the boy is so shy.

Ron groaned as he woke up, and for some moments, he stared at the top of his canopy bed. _What happened?_ He thought to himself, and then he groaned loudly, in annoyance and anger. "That bastard!" he whispered loudly, and he sat up. He saw his brother, Percy, standing there besides his bed with a worried expression on his face.

"Do you have any pain, Ron?" Percy asked him, and Ron frowned and his mouth twisted in a sneer, a cheap imitation of Draco's high class sneer. "Yeah, my pride hurts! But don't worry, I'll feel better soon."

Percy shook his head, "I don't want to know, Ron. Don't forget I'm a prefect now, at least if I don't know I don't have to punish you."

"Yeah, yeah…I haven't planned anything, yet, anyways." Answered Ron in a dismissive tone of voice, _at least he sort of cares_, he thought to himself. "What time is it?" he asked, looking up at his brother from the bed, where he was sitting with his legs crossed.

"It's 12:30…lunch started 30 minutes ago…" answered Percy, after a quick check of the time with his wand. Ron looked up, in shock, _I'm missing lunch!_ He thought with a startle, and he scrambled up from the bed to the floor, almost running into his brother who was still standing there.

Percy shook his head, as if in defeat, "don't worry…lunch is until 1:30 on Sundays." He said, before patting Ron on the head and walking away.

Ron, though, still hurried to the Great Hall at a run. _I can't plan revenge on an empty stomach…_

When he got to the Great Hall, everyone was still eating, expect for the Headmaster, and Snape, who were both missing from their usual places at the teacher's table. Ron hurried to his friend's side, Dean and Seamus. If he wanted revenge, he needed to tell his friends what happened, so they would be able to help him, too. Of course, he never noticed the looks he was getting from the Slytherin table, otherwise he would have been really frightened for his life.

"Hey, guys, I'm gonna need your help." Said Ron after he filled his plate with all kinds of foods. Dean and Seamus turned to him, "why? What's up?" asked Dean. Ron growled, bits of food falling from his mouth back to his plate, "that brat, Potter, tricked me into cursing him! Just to get me in trouble! And Neville, that scaredy-cat, idiotic moron! Cursed me! I still can't believe the moron managed to hold his wand from the right end! I need to get revenge and you guys have to help me!"

Seamus and Dean exchanged looks, and then shrugged, "sure, why not." Said Dean, and Seamus agreed, "yeah, we got nothing to do but assignments."

"Look at him!" whispered Draco in a harsh voice, "sitting there, stuffing himself! He's not even been punished!"

Another student, a few seats away, and a few years older, turned to them. "Just leave this to the grown ups, besides, McGonagall's gonna be watching you very closely."

Daphne growled, "no need to coddle us, Baddock. _We're _not at fault here, and whatever we do or don't do will fall, not on our heads, but on _hers_ and on Weasley's and _Dumbledore_'s!" she looked over to Ron Weasley, and saw him laughing with his friends.

It made her blood boil, here he was laughing and eating, when Harry was laying unconscious in the Hospital Wing! Draco had reassured her that his father would be coming to get him, and take him somewhere safe. But what about Ron Weasley? Why was that little annoying _bug_, here with the rest of them! As if nothing had happened.

She turned to look at the Head Table, and saw that Dumbledore and Professor Snape were both missing, but McGonagall was there, and the other Heads, along with _Quirrell _who looked at her right in the eyes when she turned to him.

Suddenly, Daphne knew what she had to do, so she got up and started yelling, "Ronald Weasley cursed the Boy-Who-Lived!"

The Great Hall instantly went deathly quiet at her declaration, "Ronald Weasley cursed Harry Potter! And now he lies unconscious! And yet Weasley sits there! Eating and Laughing!" she yelled out, her voice carrying all over the Great Hall. Everyone silent, and looking at her, and Ron.

"The number of points for Gryffindor house hasn't changed since yesterday! Is this the Greatness of Gryffindor? To raise Cowards and show favoritism towards the undeserving!" she screamed out, her voice crazy and hoarse, filled with anger and grief, for Harry.

McGonagall cursed her luck and stood up, "shut up this instance, Ms Greengrass, before you spend the rest of the year in detention!" they had been trying to keep the incident quiet, Gryffindor was still barely second when it came to house points, and if she removed any more, they'd be third. Also, Dumbledore wanted to keep this newest incident under wraps, so as not to appear even worse in the eyes of the Students and parents.

But Daphne wasn't going to keep quiet, not when she knew she was in the right, "oh, you try to keep _me_ quiet! And _threaten_ me, with _detention_, well did you give _Weasley_ detention, for cursing Harry Potter! And hoe about this being yet another occasion in which Weasley ends up hurting another student!"

Ron stood up angrily at that, "what another!" he yelled out, before McGonagall could say anything else, "That filthy idiot, Potter is the first! And I would do it again! He deserves it! He deserves everything he gets for turning into an evil dark wizard! He's a traitor to everything us deserving folk stand for!"

McGonagall felt like fainting, _why does this have to happen on my watch? Albus is totally going to blame me! _"Quiet! Quiet! The both of you! You are both a disgrace to the rest of the students! Sit down, now! Especially _you_ Miss Greengrass! 30 points from Slytherin for causing such disruption!"

"Professor, how many points are you going to remove from Gryffindor house, then?" asked a male student from the far side of the Hall. McGonagall turned to the Hufflepuff table, and saw Cedric Diggory, on his feet, always looking so proper, with his uniform in perfect condition, and his hair gelled back.

"What?" asked McGonagall, almost confused at being interrupted in her tirade by a Hufflepuff. "How many points are you going to remove from Gryffindor? Also, how many detentions are you going to give Ron Weasley for cursing Harry Potter? If you want to punish Greengrass for disrupting lunch, then you _must_ punish the person that gave a _reason_ to disrupt lunch." He added, his voice polite, but loud and direct.

Ron growled, "Potter _made_ me attack him! He provoked me! And my magic just _reacted_!" Draco finally decided he wasn't going to let Daphne take all the heat for the disruption, his honor as a Malfoy wouldn't allow it. "And where did this happen, exactly?" he asked loudly, and Ron turned around to look at him, "at the Gryffindor common room, of course!" he answered with a growl.

"And what was Harry doing at Gryffindor house in the first place?" Draco added, his eyebrow rising, as if in challenge. And then, of course, Ron made another mistake… he spoke. McGonagall tried to stop him, but Ron's idiocy worked faster, "Harry's a Gryffindor now! Of course, and the Headmaster switched him there! We can't have the Boy-Who-Lived in the Dark Wizards House, now can we!" he said, loudly and clearly, everyone still staring in astonishment at what was going on, lunch forgotten.

Cedric frowned, "only the sorting hat can choose a house for the students." He said, his voice loud, in the silent Great Hall. The silence was almost unnerving, considering how many people was there. "The headmaster can't choose, there's a law against that. The Headmaster can't interfere…neither can parents….guardians….or magical guardians…" he continued, his voice thoughtful as he remembered what he had read, but still reverberating all through the room.

"Enough of this!" yelled McGonagall suddenly, "lunch is over! Everyone go back to your common rooms!" she continued speaking, and all the plates disappeared. "Mr. Weasley, stay behind, please."

Ron groaned, both at the food being gone, and having to stay behind. _Bloody bastards! The whole lot of 'em! Now I gotta get revenge on that pansy boy from Hufflepuff, too._

Everyone started to get up and walking away, Neville, who had kept eating, and trying ti avoid getting attention while the whole thing was happening, licked his lips, nerves shining through his gaze as he stared at the table. He should say something, he knew it, it was inevitable, since he was there when the whole thing happened, and he knew Ron was guilty of everything the Slytherins were accusing him of.

But now he had a new dilemma, because it didn't seem like Professor McGonagall was all that inclined to punish Ron, so maybe telling _her_ his version of what happened wouldn't really make that much of a difference in the first place. He had to tell someone else, but then…who would care? The only one he could think of was Professor Snape, and the rest of the Slytherins but they already knew that he was there, since it had been him that went to get them, and had personally told Professor Snape everything he knew already.

_That's it! I'll just let Malfoy know that he can call on me to be a Witness, or provide my memories of what happened if he needs it._ He nodded to himself, and got up from the table, and looked around. Everyone was up and slowly walking away, talking loudly about everything and anything, mostly what had happened. It didn't seem like most people knew he had been involved in any way, since he wasn't getting any stares.

He found Malfoy and his group soon enough, since they were the closest to the doors, probably in a hurry to go and see Harry. Neville, then, quickened his steps and tried to do what he had to do fast, before the nerves got the best of him.

He followed them through the hallways for a bit, not sure he wanted to be seen by the other Gryffindors when he actually offered his help to the Slytherins, of all people.

"Yes?' said a young voice, and Neville was startled by it. He hadn't realized he had been following them for quite a while. "Uhm…" he hesitated, and looked around, they were on a Hallway that obviously led to the Slytherin dorms, so no one else was around but them. "I… I wanted to say…" he hesitated again, and stared at them all; Draco Malfoy, Daphne Greengrass, Pansy Parkinson, and Blaise Zabini, all of them standing next to each other, staring at him with their arms at ease… easy access to their wands were they to need it, but they outnumbered him, so; yep, Neville Longbottom was officially dumber than usual.

"I wanted to offer my… assistance, should you need it….with the Ron-Harry incident…uhm, you know… as a witness…" he finally explained, and Draco scoffed, almost in disbelief.

Pansy frowned, "really? Why?" she asked, and Neville took a deep breath, "well… I don't like Ron… and like I said… I was there when the whole thing went down… and Ron was at fault completely… and I kind of… reacted when he cursed Harry, and I cursed him back… so, he'll probably be feeling vengeful… I figure… you know… if he's gonna hate me, I might as well go all the way, and offer my help as a witness, should it come to that… besides…uhm… My parents were…. Classmates…. And friends… with Harry's parents, too… so…" Neville trailed off and looked away.

Draco was impressed, really, he'd always thought of Neville Longbottom as a spineless fool… turns out he was wrong. The boy is probably just not used to interacting much with others, since he grew up with only his grandmother, and everyone knew Madam Longbottom was a bit antisocial, especially after _the event_, as his mother refers to it.

"We'll keep your offer in mind, Longbottom. Thanks, you're… alright, I guess." Said Draco, and he extended his hand towards the other boy with only a moment of hesitation. Neville paused, almost uncertain, but he took Draco's hand and shook it slowly, knowing it would have been bad relations not to take it, and also knowing it was an important moment for both families.

Neville wasn't sure how this would play out in the future, and how it would affect relations between the Malfoy family, and the Longbottom family, maybe it wouldn't change anything, maybe it would help… maybe it would make things worse, especially when his Gran finds out. But Neville is doing this more for Harry Potter's benefit than anything else, of course, it also helps that by doing this he'll be providing evidence against Ron Weasley, and it might also lead to questions on why Harry Potter was in Gryffindor house in the first place.

He's not sure why he even cares, maybe because for those few short moments that he was in the company of Harry Potter, the boy showed that he's smart, and he didn't treat Neville like an idiot, either. Finding out another version of what happened to his parents was also very eye opening for him. His Gran had always made it seem like his parents were pointless victims of mad people. Merely tortured for not agreeing to become dark wizards, and death eaters… but here we have the boy-who-lived himself, showing him that just maybe, everything that happened in the war wasn't as senseless as what his Gran had always made it out to be.

That was important to him, not because he wanted to justify anyone's actions, but it certainly made it easier to know that just maybe, Bellatrix wasn't simply a mad woman, but a woman who had been driven mad by people who are supposed to be light wizards. It certainly put things in perspective for him, and also, of course, watching Ron Weasley, who's supposed to be from a light aligned family, cursing Harry Potter helped reinforce the idea that not everything is white and black, good or evil.

"Right… well…I have… assignments to finish…" he said lamely, and after giving them all a half smile, he turned around and walked off really fast. He barely managed to keep from running away, the knowledge that all Slytherin's are supposed to be evil, still too deeply ingrained in him. It would take more than a couple of hours to come to terms with it.

Daphne scoffed, and laughed, as soon as Neville was out of sight, "well, that was interesting." She commented, and Blaise nodded in agreement, "I'll say… I wonder what Harry said to him to cause such a reaction?" he asked, and Draco shrugged, "as long as it gives us an ally within Gryffindor, it's all good."

Pansy chuckled, "I wonder what his dear, uptight, grandmother will say when she finds out?"

**-End chapter-**

**Chiyoku says: **I hope you enjoyed it, and I hope you'll review, too. But even if you don't, thanks for reading, and please stay tuned for next chapter! PS: was the ending for this chapter way too abrupt? I hope not…I just got to the point where I was like…ok…what else can I possibly write? Then I figured, this is as good a place as any to finish it off for now, so…

I'm just happy I made my word goal XD.

Oh, and uhm, **review, thanks!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Chiyoku says: **Hi, y'all! I've been working hard to update this story by this date. You see, I have surgery on the 11 (which should be _today_ maybe, by the time I update…it's still before midnight, right as I'm writing this….so) I wanted to make sure I update whatever I have by the night before the surgery…cuz I dunno afterwards how long it'll be for recovery, or how long before I feel like writing again. I've complained before of having an infection and stuff…so the surgery is related to that, and it should take care of it for good, finally. So, if you wouldn't mind sending out some good energies my way? I'd appreciate it lots. XD

Thanks to everyone who reviewed! I feel loved! XD I'm glad no one had any pressing concerns this time, it should mean I've explained everything pretty good, right?

Someone mentioned about tenses….I've been working on it.

In this chapter you'll notice a couple of things from past chapters that have come out to play once again. But it's only the beginning, hopefully, from here on, things will get even more interesting. I'm trying to make it go faster….but I just can't. (Can you believe it's been 13 chappies by now and it's barely the first week of november for them? I'm a snail. But I just can't do time skips like other authors… if I try it it seems forced. I hate it when I feel like I'm forcing characters to do something. Which is why you might also notice that certain things from certain characters' past have been changed to suit the actions they will take in this story)

**Enjoy!**

**Alternation Nation**

**A fanfiction by Chiyoku Shibata**

_**Recap: **__Harry's unconscious, Neville gets involved. Dumbledore tries to meddle, and Lucius gets there just in time. Harry has a little chat with Tom Riddle while he's unconscious. Ron gets angry, and Draco and the rest get even angrier. Daphne disrupts lunch in a spectacular scene in which she calls out all the Gryffindors, and accuses them of being cowards. The scene causes everyone to find out what happened between Harry and Ron. McGonagall gets angry because she can't control the scene, and kicks everyone out of the Great Hall. Neville stops the Slytherins and offers his aid as a witness, in case they need it._

**Chapter 13: Devils Swing**

Emerald green eyes fluttered open, and stared at the ceiling way too high above him. He couldn't quite remember what it was that had happened. Harry knew he had been dreaming, but _it wasn't quite a dream…I think…_ he thought to himself. _I was… unconscious and… talking to Tom Riddle? He said… he's connected to me somehow. _He thought with wonder, and confusion, but for some reason, he wasn't fearful; _this has to be weird… even for a Wizard, right? Maybe I shouldn't tell anyone…just in case…_

"Hello, there." Said a sweet, female voice. Harry looked over to the side and saw a woman, with blond hair, swept back in a stylish manner. She was wearing a dress that seemed to flow in a magical way whenever she moved. She walked up to the bed and sat on the side, looking at Harry with a smile, and a kindness that Harry could see in her eyes. Not many people looked at him like that, so Harry could notice this right away.

"…Hi…" he said shyly, resisting the temptation to move the blanket up to him nose. It was then that Harry noticed he wasn't at Hogwarts, and he wondered just where he was and who this woman was, as well. Still, he wasn't afraid, because she seemed kind.

"My name is Narcissa, I'm Draco's mother." Said the woman, introducing herself with a smile still on her face, her voice gentle. And Harry was shocked that he was with Draco's mom, _how? _He thought to himself, with a bit of shock coloring his voice, even in his head.

"…Oh…uhm, where am I?" he asked hesitantly, looking around a bit more. The place had a very luxurious aspect to it, Harry wasn't used to such things; even though Hogwarts was better than the Dursley's. But this place was far beyond anything Harry had ever seen.

"You're safe, Harry. You're at my house, Lucius, Draco's father, brought you here so you can recover better." She explained, and Harry was surprised once again, he already knew that Draco lived in a really big place, but _this_…wow. _No wonder Draco is the way he is… _he thought to himself, with a sigh of understanding as he looked around.

Then he looked at Draco's mum again, and he bit his lip. He had been brought here to get better, "Oh… thank you…uhm…what should I call you?" he asked her.

"…You can just call me by my name, Harry. Or 'Cissa, if it's easier for you." She answered with a smile, and a pat on the bed.

"K…thank you for taking care of me….uhm, Cissa." He thanked her, his voice awkward, unused to such kindness from adults, or even calling someone, way older than him, by a nickname or a shortened name.

"It's no trouble, Harry. You're so sweet, and I love kids like you." She said, and Harry could swear he saw sugar dripping from her lips. He had never imagined Draco's mom would be so…lovable, it was kind of weird to him. But maybe she was just this way with kids? Or maybe because Draco was one of his close friends? Either way, Harry just wasn't used to it.

"Uhm..thanks?" he said, his voice confused. He looked away and licked his lips. "Do you need anything?" asked Narcissa, "Are you thirsty, hungry, …in pain?" she asked, and leaned a bit closer to Harry, with both of her hands on the bed.

"…Some water, if it's no trouble…" answered Harry, smiling a little.

"It's no problem, ask me for anything, Harry." Said Narcissa with a small smile, then she seemed to think of something, and she clapped her hands once and stood up, "In fact, it's late in the afternoon already," she continued, "so I'm going to have the house elves prepare something for you to eat in bed. Now are you in any pain? Anything bothering you? I have to know, don't be afraid to tell me." She finished speaking, and looked down at Harry, who was still laying back on the bed.

Harry was still surprised someone was willing to go to so much trouble for him, "Thank you, Cissa." He thanked her shyly, "my head hurts a little, and my body feels…weird…" he continued, deciding to confide in her with that, considering she actually seemed to care.

"Hhmm…well, the MediWizard gave you a lot of potions, so we'll have to be keeping an eye on you, make sure you're recovering." She commented, with a thought. Narcissa was worried about Harry, she didn't want whatever Ron Weasley had done to him to have any adverse side effects, since the MediWizard still wasn't sure what the accidental spell was suppose to do. Even when he read all the paperwork the Hogwarts MediWitch had sent, he still wasn't sure. Accidental magic like that was tricky, especially when cast with a wand.

But the fact that Harry was now awake was a good sign, and she was going to call the MediWizard right away to tell him. "I'm so glad you're finally awake!" she gushed, finally letting her excitement get the better of her.

"Uhm, thanks…how long…?" asked Harry hesitantly, trailing off. She had said that it's the afternoon, but that didn't really say much.

"Oh, since this morning." Answered Narcissa, explaining to him that he had been unconscious almost all day, "that Weasley boy did something to you, and we were all afraid for you, Harry. We didn't want you to be hurt permanently or anything. We weren't even sure if you were going to wake up today! So I'm glad you proved us all wrong!" she spoke quickly, and happily.

Harry smiled at her, she really seemed like a happy person. At least around him. "Dobby!" called Narcissa, her voice loud and in command. Dobby, the house elf, appeared with a pop, trembling and with his head bowed. "What can Dobby do for Mistress?" he asked.

"Bring Harry his dinner, and make it fast." She said in a hard tone of voice. "Yes, Mistress." Agreed Dobby quickly, before popping away. After Dobby popped away, Narcissa's features turned from serious and hard, back to loving and soft. Harry was shocked at the change, _so that confirms it… she's not nice to everyone… but what was that creature?_

"What was that?" he asked, his voice almost a whisper, and his eyes still staring at the spot where Dobby the weird looking creature had been standing.

"Oh, that's a house elf… they get most of their power through the bond they have with a house inhabited by magical beings. You can find most of them in Wizarding homes, like in old families… most of your Slytherin housemates have them… if their families are old." Explained Narcissa, trying to make it easy for Harry to understand. Draco had told her what he knew of Harry's past, and his life with his _muggle_ family.

"Oh… does Hogwarts have them, too?" asked Harry, looking back at Narcissa, who was now standing by the end of the bed, her hand lightly folded in front of her.

"Yes, Hogwarts employs a great number of elves. Most of them are elves that have been let go by their previous families… and a house elf without a family will soon go… a bit nutty…" she explained, finishing almost hesitantly.

Harry chuckled, "a bit nutty?" he asked, amused and curious. Narcissa smirked as well, and explained, "well, a house elf spends their whole life with a family, they are born in the house to other house elves from the same family… which means they have access to the magic in the house their whole lives." She said, shrugging a bit and walking closer to Harry, she continued, "when a house elf is kicked out of the house, for whatever reason, it's a shock to their system, because the connection to the house is broken, and they lose most of their magic."

At that moment, Dobby popped back, with a silver tray in his hands where he was balancing a hearty meal of meat and veggies, a sweetened bowl of fruit, and freshly made apple juice.

While Harry was having dinner in company of Narcissa, his friends back at school were scheming. "I say we _disappear_ him for a couple of hours." Said Pansy, rubbing her hands together in glee.

Daphne scoffed, "and _what_, exactly?"

Pansy frowned, "I'm still working on that part…" she said, shrugging.

Draco was thoughtful, "I would say it'd be good to cause him pain….but…"

"…But then you'd really be in trouble." Said an amused voice, coming out of the shadows. Blaise and the rest all turned quickly, and saw the Weasley twins appear from a darkened corner. They stood up, and went on alert, staring at the two older boys, watching for any suspicious movement.

"What are you two doing here?" asked Draco, "how did you find us? We came here specifically because there are no portraits." Added Daphne.

One of the twins smirked, no one could tell which one was which, "that's why _we_ knew about this place waay before you, firsties."

"That's right," said the other twin. "Now, as for the reason we're here…"

"We wanna give you…._this_…" said the first twin, pulling out a small vial out of his pocket. Blaise frowned, "what is it?"

The twins smirked at each other, "_this_ is what's gonna help you get your revenge against little Ronnikins."

"How? And, why would you help us?" asked Draco, his voice suspicious.

"Well, we always believed that when it comes to pranks…" started one Twin, "everyone is fair game." Finished the other one.

"Your best bet at a great revenge against our little brother…"

"…Is utter…"

"…And complete…"

"Embarrassment!" they said, finishing their little speech together.

"How is that going to help us?" asked Daphne, pointing with her head at the vial still in the twin's hands.

"Well, this little thing is a special little potion that will make whoever _drinks it_ hallucinate that they're surrounded by something they hate, and are utterly afraid of." Explained one twin.

"_We_ happen to know that _Ron_ hates spiders. So if you make him _drink_ it…maybe…tomorrow morning, during breakfast?" commented the other twin, his voice almost way too innocent.

"He'll see himself surrounded, and _covered_ by spiders." Said the other twin, handing the vial over to Blaise, who grabbed it and stared at it with a frown.

"_You_ two made this?" he asked, his voice almost incredulous. "Yep, we came up with it on our free time. We even tested a few drops of it on ourselves…" answered one of the twins with a shudder.

"So, if he drink the whole vial, how long does it last? Also, is there anything, like another potion or spell, that he _can't_ be exposed to while under the influence of _this_ potion?" asked Blaise, his mind flying with possibilities of how to best make use of the potion they were being gifted with.

"So far as we know… there's nothing that will cancel out the effects… but we've tested it very little…" answered one twin, "yeah," started the other, "think of it this way, you're helping us test this even further."

"Thanks." Said Draco, his voice a normal level, and his tone flat, _I guess not all Weasley's are the same…_ he thought to himself.

"No problem, make you you kiddies put it to good use."

Daphne smiled, "we will. Don't worry about that."

Soon the twins left, and the rest went back to planning the perfect revenge. They went over many possibilities and options for slipping the potion into him. Soon, they had thought of a good enough plan and they went to dinner, but they all still kept thinking about their plans.

Nothing was completely done yet, and dinner was perfect for observing where the Weasley brat usually sits, and what he does.

Meanwhile, Lucius Malfoy was finally headed back home, but he was still thinking about the visit he had with the muggle parents of the Granger girl.

The girl's parents had had to be brought in with the help of an Auror, since they are muggle and they can't see magical properties until after they are brought in with the help of a Wizard or Witch.

Lucius had already explained to them what had happened to Granger, and he had made sure to include in his explanation how it was the son of a so-called Light Wizard that had caused their daughter to be put in the path of danger.

He also explained how Hogwarts was supposed to be really safe and nothing could get in without the Headmaster knowing about it immediately. And something like a Giant troll would be something the man would definitely know about right away. He also made them aware of his suspicions on how the professors didn't find the troll right away, since it would be pretty obvious they could just use a spell to guide them directly to where ever the troll happened to be.

"There's no reason why this should have happened, other than the Headmaster wanting it to happen." He had told them.

They had, of course, been outraged, but Lucius took the opportunity to explain to them a brief history of their world in recent years. How Dumbledore was revered to the point where he could tell everyone one plus one equaled five and everyone would believe him without even thinking about it.

"He's also one of the loudest supporters of rights for muggleborns…now that in itself isn't a bad thing…" he had explained, when the couple had frowned at him, "but the way he goes about it is destroying our world. Muggleborns come into this world with their weird beliefs about what's good and evil, and think it applies to _this_ world as well. But they couldn't be more wrong."

Lucius knew this was a golden opportunity to sway muggles to his side. If he explained his point of view in a way that made them agree, then when Hermione Granger finally awoke, which he knew she would, then her parents would tell her all about it.

Lucius, being on the school board, was kept aware of how the first years were doing, and how the muggleborns were adjusting. He had already become aware that Hermione Granger was obsessed with studying, and reading as much as possible about everything.

If her parents could do his job of persuading her to his beliefs, then with just a little coaching on how to be confident and get lots of friends, this girl could spread his agenda to other muggleborns and light wizards. Since she's a muggleborn, they'd believe what she says simply because a muggleborn wouldn't argue in favor of something that wouldn't benefit her.

Lucius had been successful in his endeavor, and by the time they left the hospital, the girl's father had started giving him examples of how what he had told them could relate to things that had happened in the muggle world as well.

Of course, he mixed in an update on how their daughter was recovering, and all that so they wouldn't get suspicious. He had even sounded like he cared about the girl.

He had those muggle parents eating out if his hand, and soon, he would have the support of one of the smartest muggleborns in years. It was smart to try to get his hooks in while she's still young and moldable; and really, Dumbledore's folly was working in his favor. Before the girl went back to Hogwarts, he had to make sure she was against Dumbledore, because nothing the Headmaster said to her would turn her to his side if _he_ already had her convinced that the man's actions were wrong and ill-conceived.

By the time he had finished his manipulative thoughts and plans, he had already arrived back home and he was heading back to where he had left Harry.

"Oh, you're awake! How are you feeling, Harry? I'm Lucius Malfoy, by the way, we haven't met in person yet." He said to Harry when he walked in and saw Dobby grabbing a silver tray from Harry's lap, who was sitting up on the bed.

Narcissa had left to give Harry privacy while he ate, so now he was alone with Lucius. "Nice to meet you, sir." Greeted Harry, shyly. The man looked imposing, and confident, his long hair, and refined features reminded him strongly of his friend Draco.

"It's good to finally meet in person, as well, Harry. Draco has told me a lot about you." He answered walking closer to the bed. "Did you eat well?" he asked, and Harry nodded, "yes, sir, everything was delicious."

"Good, you need to eat, especially after your injury."

Lucius came up to the bed and stared at Harry for a few moments, the boy looked overwhelmed, but that was understandable, considering the circumstances. Finally, Lucius decided that the blunt approach would be best, so he sat down on a chair that was placed next to the bed and got comfortable.

"There are several things we need to talk about, Harry, and most of them are good news for you, so you can relax." He explained, and finished with a small kind smile, when it seemed the boy was getting nervous.

"What things, sir?" he asked, trying to relax. He had never talked to this man in person, but he had been privy to most of the letters sent back and forth between Draco and Lucius, especially because they involved his situation with the Dursley's and information about his parents.

"Well, first things first, I think we should get the most important one out of the way. Due to several inquiries I made in your favor at the Ministry, the Minister has granted me full temporary custody of you for as long as the investigation on those inquiries are taking place." He finally explained, and watched Harry as the boy's eyes grew wide at his words.

"Custody?" he asked in a whisper. "Yes, Harry, I have custody of you. At least until the investigation is complete, and we can find your parents will."

"Oh." Said Harry in a small whisper, still shocked. "What this means for you, Harry, is that you never have to go back to your muggle family."

At this, Harry looked up, and stared at the man in the eyes, "I… never have to go back…? I'll never see the Dursley's again?"

"Not unless they get called in for a trial or hearing in regards of the time they had you." Lucius explained, his voice almost as soft and understanding as the voice he uses to speak to Draco and Narcissa.

"Now, I don't know how much of this you will understand, Harry, but I will give you a rundown of what's been going on." He continued, "ever since my son first contacted me and asked me about you, I have been in contact with some lawyers of mine, and I have been asking questions to whoever has the power to help you.

"From what my son has said, he has been teaching you things about our world, and most importantly, things that have a direct effect on you." He continued explaining, and Harry nodded, showing he understood.

"Basically, when your parents died, you should have been placed in temporary custody of your closest Wizard family, or barring that, the ministry. Soon after that, the Goblins of Gringotts, in coordination with the Legal Department of the Ministry, should have had a Will read. Said Will would have given you a legal guardian here in our world, and it would have settled anything extra that your parents would have added to it.

"Traditionally, in cases like yours, where there is only one person that can inherit, whatever guardian your parents set up gets a limited access to some of your families accounts and vaults. Once you reach a certain age, traditionally either 15 or 16, depending on the family… it could be earlier, even… you take control of all your family monies and accounts."

Harry nodded in understanding, "yeah, Draco explained something like that. He also said that old families, like yours or mine, especially when there's not many blood relatives left, they are especially careful about leaving behind clear instructions in their will. So, my parents, if they were hiding out from Voldemort, like so many have already told me… would know there was a risk that they would both die, and leave me behind…" Harry trailed off and shrugged.

"That's right, I don't know how much of the story is true… but we do know they were hiding under fidelius, so they would have anticipated…. Or at least, James, since he grew up in our world… he would have anticipated anything bad, and it would have been pretty standard for him to set up a will in case you're were the only survivor."

_And I was…_Harry thought to himself. It was stranger, but talking about this, his parents… their death… it didn't make him feel sad at all. The only thing that made him feeling anything at all was the fact that someone had forced him to live with the Dursley's. And against all laws, it seemed, when according to Lucius, he could have lived like Draco his whole life.

"I found a journal back at school…" commented Harry suddenly, and Lucius frowned slightly, in curiousity, "oh?" he asked, "yes," answered Harry.

"A journal belonging to a student, in which she says things she read about me…" he continued, trying not to hesitate, since this was important, and Lucius Malfoy would probably be able to help him the most with this.

"I don't remember all of it…but she talks about my Godfather…Sirius Black….and…something about me having two sits in the House of Lords?" he asked, now hesitant.

Lucius's eyes widened unnoticeably, and he had a flashback to one of his sons letters. It had reached him along with a letter from Severus, informing him about Dumbledore. The part where his son talked about Black had been merely a sentence in the hastily written letter.

Soon after that, Harry was injured, but thankfully the ink on the parchment granting him guardianship was just starting to dry.

"The House of Lords has existed for a long time….since the time before Hogwarts, even…and the time before Ministers." Explained Lucius, his voice turned to that of a teacher giving a lecture.

"It used to be," he continued, "that the House of Lords was the ruling party in our World. It was the first step towards forming any type of Official government for us. There was originally about 50 members, all part of the Rich Aristocracy. Since then, anything of importance passes through the the House of Lords for review, and acceptance. Despite common misconception, the House of Lords is still the real power within the Ministry. I have a sit, many of your classmates at Hogwarts have sits…except for the Parkinsons… a sit within the House belongs to the Vanderbilts, to which they are joined by marriage… however, the test of blood that is performed on such occasions, hasn't found a Parkinson with enough Vanderbilt blood yet.

Pansy Parkinson is suppose to get the test done once she's old enough… so they have hope yet…" Lucius explained, trailing off, and thinking. If she does inherit the sit, it'll bring back some honor to the Parkinsons, and afterwards, the sit will belong to her and she'll be able to pass it on to any sons or daughters she has without them having to take the same test of blood.

"So if you are my guardian… does that mean you control the sits for now?" asked Harry, as he remembered a section of Granger's journal that had spoken of Dumbledore having control of his sits.

"I'm only your temporary guardian, so for now no one has control of your sits."

"…What about the Headmaster? Isn't he my magical guardian?" asked Harry with dread, and Lucius sighed, "no, Harry. Thankfully, no. The fact that there's an investigation going on in regards to that exact thing, means that the only one who has any power over anything you are set to inherit is partially under my control."

Harry took a deep breath of relief, and Lucius continued explaining, "the particulars are complicated, but anyone who comes forward claiming to be in charge of anything in regards to your inheritances will be under investigation. Anyone who has touched even one galleon out of vaults belonging to the Potters since after the day of your parent's death, will be under investigation."

"Even Dumbledore?" asked Harry, his voice showing amazement over the situation. Lucius smirked, "_especially_ Dumbledore, Harry. According to my sources, _he's_ the one who took you that night and left you under the _loving_ care of your muggle family."

"Oh…that's good, then." Harry commented, with a normal tone. Inside, Harry was thinking to him, and he wasn't sure what to think about things. Ever since he had been introduced to the Wizarding World, it had been one weird ride after another. At first he had been excited, especially when he realized he would be living at the school for the better part of the year, and that meant he'd be away from the Dursley's.

Then he had his first view of the Wizarding World, and he wasn't sure he liked what he saw. Everyone treated him like he was a Prince…. Or a revered religious figure, and it was creepy to say the least, especially since he had never been treated well at all. Quite a shock to him, really. Then he'd been almost relieved when he had a brief meeting with Draco at Madam Malkins, which he was sure his friend didn't even remember.

It had been nice, since Draco has treated him like a normal person, neither badly, nor with reverence. Then, of course, meeting Ron in the train, on the way to Hogwarts; the boy didn't know what to say, and when he did say something it was with this tone, like the boy expected Harry to be able to turn water into wine, and walk on water. Of course, when the boy turned into a drooling imbecile at the sight of his galleons and then pounced on his treats without Harry even inviting him to, that had really turned Harry off completely. He had been so badly reminded of Dudley, that he couldn't get away from him fast enough.

Of course, that was also one of the reasons why he had immediately accepted Draco's hand in friendship when they met up again right before the sorting. He had noticed the tension that radiated between the two, and decided Draco was the better deal.

There have been so many experiences for Harry since he got to the Wizarding World, it was unbelievable how much his life had changed. And now, thanks to him choosing to befriend Draco, he was under the care of a very rich family. And from what he's known of them till now, they seem to have the best intentions for him.

That's not to say they don't have any ulterior motives, though, because Harry's sure the prestige the Malfoy's will get from being the Guardians of the boy-who-lived is definitely pushing things along even faster than they otherwise would. But still, as long as whatever's happening helps his situation, it's all good.

"Well, it's late, Harry. You better sleep now, you need it." Said Lucius suddenly, and he got up and patted the bed once, saying goodnight.

"Goodnight, Mr. Malfoy," greeted Harry, as Lucius walked away, but then hesitated, and Lucius stopped and looked back at him, "and…thanks…for everything…" thanked Harry hesitantly. He knew the man was doing a lot for Harry. And whatever his reasons, Harry was getting the benefit of it, so he was thankful.

Lucius smiled a bit at Harry, "you're welcome. You're a good kid, Harry." Added Lucius, and then he walked out, leaving Harry to his thoughts, but soon succumbing to sleep.

"Cornelius, have you seen today's headline?" asked Amelia Bones monday morning as she made her way into the Minister's office. Fudge was having a meeting with Umbridge, who was updating him on the quick headway they were making on the investigation. Lucius had approached Fudge at the beginning of the school year and had talked to him about some concerns regarding the boy-who-lived. Thanks to Draco managing to become Harry Potter's friend, they had been able to get a glimpse of how the boy had lived all these years, and it wasn't a pretty picture. In a short time, they had managed to gather an impressive file on Dumbledore by putting together everything that was a part of public record.

"What's this about Amelia?" asked Fudge, frowning at the interruption. Amelia Bones was outraged, coming into her office this morning, and reading the monday headline, barely a day after the sunday edition, it was almost too much. Her niece had been sending her updates on the going-ons of Hogwarts, and every letter she received made her want to go and curse Dumbledore with something fierce.

"This headline, Cornelius! _Boy-who-lived unconscious_! _Ron Weasley Guilty!_ Just what is going on at Hogwarts?!" she exclaimed, and placed the paper right in front of him. "The same boy who put a muggleborn right on the path of a Troll, is now guilty of cursing Harry Potter!" she continued, "I've already received letters, and not just from muggleborns. I had a small pile of letters before I even read the front page! The people want justice, Cornelius!"

"Hem Hem" said Umbridge, bringing the attention of those in the room to herself, "I understand your concern, Amelia." She said, her voice high, and her tone overbearing, as if she was speaking to a little girl. "But we're already doing something about it." She continued, "perhaps…you might like to help in the investigation?" she asked slowly, her hands folded on her lap.

Amelia looked between Umbridge and Cornelius, "what investigation? How come I don't know about it?" she asked, her voice concerned.

Fudge sighed, and put the paper down, having scanned the article quickly while the women talked. "Lucius Malfoy came to me with some concerns at the beginning of the year… concerns regarding one Harry Potter." He started to explain, "as you know, Harry Potter got sorted into Slytherin. He became close to Draco Malfoy, Lucius' son. He confided in me what his son told him… and we've been building up a case because for it. We've been keeping it quiet," he explained, as Amelia stared at him, with a look that demanded a good explanation.

"…We've been keeping it quiet," he repeated, "because Albus has a lot of allies within the Ministry…a lot more than I care to accept…" he said hesitantly.

"Cornelius, there is no one of importance that supports Dumbledore here." Commented Umbridge, "however, I should think it wise to contact Rita and have her do an _exposé _on Dumbledore."

"Do you think you could fill me in, first? After all, if he's done anything illegal I should know about it before it makes the papers." Said Amelia, crossing her arms and pursing her lips.

"Of course, of course." Answered Fudge, motioning for Amelia to sit on an empty chair next to Umbridge. "We already suspected for quite some time that Dumbledore has been acting outside of the law when it came to the last events of the war with the Dark Lord. However, most of what he has done, as far as we can tell, seems to be in favor of _securing_ our great World. Public opinion is mostly accepting of what Dumbledore has done….or at least, of what he's told us that he's done."

Amelia nodded, "yes, there are several members of my department that sing Dumbledore's praises daily…among them two of my most talented Aurors on duty, Shacklebolt and Tonks…the latter of which has been apprenticed under Alastor Moody, whom you might know is old friends with Dumbledore…" commented Amelia, shrugging her shoulders a bit, as if to say _what can I do about it?_

"Yes," continued Fudge, "well, we haven't been able to get much on the way of proof, mostly because Dumbledore has always had so many supporters, that he has been able to get _them_ to do all the dirty work for him. And if we do catch them doing something illegal…Dumbledore has been able to get away with it because he never directly told them to _do_ anything. He has ways of getting people to do the dirty work without actually saying anything that would incriminate him if he's ever questioned about it with veritaserum."

Amelia took a deep breath, "he's old, Cornelius, he's had _year_ of practice."

Umbridge pursed her lips, "I don't like having to hide the investigation, as if _we're _the ones doing something wrong, but it's the only way. No one but us, and Lucius, knows about it, and no one can know until we're ready. Which is why I want to get Rita in on it, if we give her everything we've found, everything that's public record, at least, then she'll know what to do with it and she'll release it when it's best for us."

"Call her to us today, before lunchtime, preferably. Lucius got custody of Harry Potter last night, and it'll be better if _we_ release the information before Dumbledore can." Said Fudge, and Umbridge took out some parchment and made a note of it.

Meanwhile, Lucius went back to the guest room where Harry was staying. The boy was sitting up in bed, and a house elf was taking the empty breakfast tray away. "How are you feeling this morning, Harry?"

"Much better, Mr. Malfoy, thanks."

"Did you have the potions I instructed the house elf to give you?"

"Yes, all of them…" finished Harry hesitantly, frowning as he remembered the bad taste left over from the potions.

Lucius smirked, "I know they taste bad, but they made you feel better, and that's what matters."

Harry nodded, "I know. Thank you, Mr. Malfoy. I still don't know why you're being so nice to me."

"Well, Harry, I went to school with your parents, for one. I was a couple of years ahead of them." He explained, and Harry's eyes went wide, _this man had known his parents?_

"Did you ever talk to them?" he asked, his voice full of wonder.

"Your mother, Lily, was in my house at Hogwarts… _first mudblood to go to Slytherin in over a century_….or something like that…" he said with a smirk, his eyes looking far away, as if remembering. Then he looked almost regretfully at Harry, "I'm afraid we didn't exactly give her a warm welcome…" he explained with a shrug.

Harry gave him a small smile of understanding but he didn't say anything. Lucius cleared his throat, and took a breath before continuing. "I did know James, though. We didn't talk in school…." He explained, "but we did run with some of the same circle of people." He finished, remembering the boisterous boy at the annual christmas galas they used to have; some regret filled him when he remembered the year everyone stopped having those reunions.

For a time after the Dark Lord appeared, everything was still pretty much normal for everyone, except for the occasional scare. But once people started dying, most of them light aligned, and mudbloods, it just wasn't the same anymore. The last unofficial gala had seen only three light aligned families in it, including the Potters, but they had all kept to themselves, and the tension filled the air. No one had wanted to bring up the elephant in the room.

"Of course, you're also friends with Draco, and that matters to me." He added suddenly, bringing himself out of his thoughts, and speaking, as if he just thought of it.

"Yeah…Draco's been a really good friend to me." Said Harry, staring at the man in wonder still.

Lucius took a breath and looked away, hesitatingly reaching into his pocket, and pulling out a book. Harry frowned in curiosity, and Lucius spoke to him, "I wanted to show you something, Harry." He started, and Harry nodded, "ok."

"It's this book, and in it there's names….lists…" he continued, _I'm not explaining this well…_ he thought to himself with a sigh. "This book is special, it's a one of a kind, and you won't find it for sale anywhere."

Harry frowned, "what's so special about it?" he asked in curiosity, and Lucius opened it, finding it empty, as usual. It only fills out when you want something from it, but Lucius was currently thinking about how to explain what the book does to Harry.

"It shows you people… almost anyone. It's about what's knows as the Ten Great Families…and it details all the ancient families and their descendants…. Well….not _all_ the ancient families…but the ones that had the most power at the time when the book was made." He explained, finally understanding how to explain what the book is. He continued, "you see…at the time, the story goes, there wasn't a lot of methods for safely storing information, so all the heads of certain families put their magic together, and created this book.

"It's a very powerful book, and it updates constantly. I don't know if there are any more of them…I think they would have made as many books as there are head of the families that originally made them…but I can't be sure. I do know that _my_ family is in it, and the _Potter_ family is in it, as well."

Harry wasn't sure he understood what Lucius was explaining, "so, it's like a Family Tree book?" he asked, looking at the book, and then looking up and staring at Lucius.

"Yes, something like that, but you have to know what to ask, and you have to _be_ in the book to be able to use it. Watch." He said, pulling out his wand, because demonstrating was always the better way to explaing something.

Lucius did what he always does, he opened the book to the first page, pointed his wand at the book and said "show me Draco Malfoy." Nothing happened, but he was expecting that.

"See? Nothing happened. I did this on purpose first, because I needed to tell you something else." He said, showing the empty book to Harry.

"You need to have someone's full name to find them here in the book." He explained, "that's why names are so important to us. So for example," he continued, "show me Draco Lucius Malfoy Black." He said, pointing the wand at the book again, and this time the book changed in a shower of magic. He pointed the book at Harry, so he would see, and then the letters appeared, the words formed, and the whole thing was about Draco.

"That's wicked." Said Harry, his eyes wide as his stared at all of Draco's information right there on the book in front of him.

Lucius waved his wand and the book erased itself, "what I want you to do now, Harry, is for you to find yourself here." He handed the book to Harry, who grabbed it carefully, and stared at it.

"Just grab your wand," he said, handing Harry his wand, "and point it at the book like I did, and say _Show me myself_."

Harry took a deep breath, and nervously did as Lucius explained, "Show me Myself." He said, his voice nervous, but clear.

The book lit up with magic, and words started forming. When it finished Harry read it, and he was shocked and confused about the name that appeared.

"Is this me?" he said with wonder, "that's my name?"

Lucius nodded, staring at the first page in shock. _This confirms it, then._ He thought to himself.

Meanwhile, Draco and the others were having breakfast and talking in hushed whispers. They had plans for the _prank/revenge_ and first they wanted to make sure that Ron sat in the same place for every meal.

Dumbledore was present for breakfast, but he wasn't talking to anyone, and Snape looked surprisingly calm… even happy, but no one could tell just by looking at him. He had a special in with Dumbledore, but there was a limited amount of things he could do with the information he gained from the man. Ever since Harry Potter had come back, and Dumbledore slowly made his plans known to him and McGonagall, Snape had been looking for a way to help the boy, especially after he realized that the boy was more like Lily than James. And now Lucius had taken him away, so things were looking good.

Just then, the mail flew in, and most of the owls were delivering newspapers along with the usual letters and parcels. Draco grabbed a letter from his father and put it away, and proceeded to read the newspaper. At the same time, other people also started to read the newspaper.

About thirty seconds afterwards, Ronald could feel everyone staring at him, and he looked up from his plate of food, still chewing. He swallowed and stared at everyone staring at him, feeling very awkward, he looked at his friends, who were holding onto newspapers, and were staring at him.

He grabbed one of the papers, and read the headline, "what the hell is this!" he yelled, and as soon as he did, everyone started whispering to each other and pointing at him.

Draco smirked, and stared as Ronald ranted and made a fool of himself, as everyone stared and whispered. Draco wanted to taunt him, but he contained himself because he didn't want to risk Ronald not being present when they decide they wanted to prank him.

"Hey, I'm gonna go early… I wanna send a letter before first period." Said Draco, quickly finishing his breakfast, and ignoring Ronald's ranting.

"Mmhh, I'll go with you." Said Blaise, as he swallowed the last of his chocolate milk, and grabbed a cookie, before getting up. Draco nodded, and grabbed a cookie as well, before greeting their friends and leaving together.

"So, what are we doing?" asked Blaise, as he walked fast besides Draco. Draco looked around with his eyes, before he got really close to Blaise and whispered, "we're gonna sneak a book out of the library, and out of school."

Blaise frowned, "what, from the forbidden section or something?" he asked in curiosity, but Draco just rolled his eyes, "no, you'll see. But let's hurry, we only have a half hour before class."

They got to the library in record time, and walked in unseen, the librarian gone from the front desk, since she was having breakfast as well. Draco had been looking around for this book for a while, he hadn't been planning on having to sneak it out of school, but now he had no choice. He wanted to send it to Harry, and he didn't know when he'd see him again. Quickly reading his father's letter, he'd found out his father planned on having Harry stay at the manor.

_I'm going to keep Harry Potter here at the Manor, _the letter had said, _and I'm going to hire several tutors for him to finish up his first year from home._ He had explained his plans briefly, and carefully, and he had warned him as well, _if anyone asks, _ Lucius had written, _Harry is still unconscious. I'll let you know when he "wakes up"._

Draco realized Harry was awake already, but his father wanted to keep him unconscious in the eyes of the public yet. It will reinforce his point when he does bring it all to court. Meanwhile, Draco had promised Harry that they'd look through that school book and find any information they could on Tom Riddle. So now he would just have to _send_ the book to Harry, and make sure he read it and returned it before anyone started missing it.

_There it is…_ he thought to himself, a small smirk on his face. He bumped Blaise with his shoulder and pointed at the book with his head. Blaise frowned for a bit, and then his eyes widened a bit, and he smiled when he saw the book. He scoffed a bit as he looked at Draco and shook his head.

Draco simply looked around with his eyes, and grabbed the book. He pulled out his wand and cast a quick spell to check for any security measures on it. Draco scoffed, the only security measures the book had were activated if someone actually _asked_ for the book and checked it out, then took long in returning it.

He shook his head, and pocketed the book. They walked out with no one realizing anything, and when they were close to the owlery, they looked at each other and smirked. _The best thefts were always done without any pomp or planning, _they thought to themselves. They found Blaise's owl, and quickly handed the book to the bird, who clutched it strongly. "Take this to Malfoy Manor quickly, it's for Harry Potter. And please make sure no one stops you before you reach your destination." Instructed Blaise quietly, and the owl seemed to nod at him, as if understanding what he had been instructed to do, before he took off.

Blaise and Draco stared at the owl until they couldn't see him anymore. Then they quickly went back to the common room to get their books for the day.

**End of Chapter ~**

**Chiyoku says: **thanks for reading everyone! I hope you enjoyed it! I wanted to write more, but it's already close to 1am and I gotta be at the hospital very early in the morning for my surgery, so…

Remember to leave a **review**! Thanks!


	14. Chapter 14

**Chiyoku says: **hey, everyone! I know I took a while to update… but I've been busy. I should also tell you that I have a twitter account, the link is my profile, and… that I started a story for Vampire Diaries in which Elena accidentally poisons Stefan with vervain, it's mostly a story that will show the more brotherly side of Damon, if you watch Vampire Diaries, you might wanna read it, I happen to like it (I know, I wrote it, of course I like it, duh, heh.)

Thanks for all the reviews, guys, I really appreciate it. Most of the questions you guys pose should be answered within the chapter itself (if not this chapter, then in future chapters) but for other stuff, let's see:

-Hedwig spends most of her time with the other owls, gossiping, sleeping, and hunting mice. She's not really a key player in this story, which is why I haven't even bothered to mention her.

-I dunno what Daphne's future will be like in regards to her relationship and possessiveness of Harry… I didn't even notice she was that possessive, actually…huh. XD

-As for Harry's real name, and his identity, you won't have to wait much longer, you'll find out in this chapter. It's not actually what you guys think it will be, I think I managed to give it a good twist that I don't remember seeing much, or at all, in other stories, so I hope you like it, it'll come into play a lot when it comes to Harry's clashes with Dumbles and the law.

-My surgery went well, thank you. I still have pain in the area…. But it comes and goes… I appreciate all the good wishes from all.

One last thing, I know it's in bad form to point out my own mistakes… but only one person has noticed as of yet, so I figured I'd tell the rest of you: Did anyone, aside from one other person, notice that I made Neville a Hufflepuff first, and then he magically became a Gryffindor? …All I can say is… oooops….. Heheheh. I hadn't even notice I did that…. Most people didn't even notice, so I won't change it… it's like, a minor thing, but I do find it pretty funny myself, especially since most people haven't noticed.

Ok, super long author note! I apologize, let's get on with the story…

**Enjoy!**

**Alternation Nation**

**A fanfiction by Chiyoku Shibata**

_**Recap: **__Harry wakes up at Malfoy Manor, he speaks with Narcissa, and then with Lucius. They are both nice to him and inform him of several important things, and then Narcissa gives him several books with important stuff that he should learn. The Weasley Twins give a little something to Harry's friends so they can get revenge against Ron. At the Ministry, Fudge, Umbridge, and Bones are all outraged about what's happening to Harry Potter, and they all band together to keep gathering proof against Dumbledore. Lucius shows Harry The Book, and Harry's learns his real name, while Draco and Blaise take a book from the Hogwarts library and send it to Harry._

**Chapter 14: Why He Had To Leave**

"Ah, Kingsley, so good to see you again." Greeted Dumbledore with a smile, shaking the tall black man's hand, and pointing to a sit on the other side of his desk.

"Good to you see you, too, Albus, it's been a while." Greeted kingsley with a nod and a smile, taking a sit, and getting comfortable.

"Do you want some tea? Lemon drops? I have some delightful lemon cakes that a friend sent me from a muggle bakery…" offered Dumbledore, as he sat down and placed his hands on his desk, still smiling pleasantly.

"I'll have one of those lemon cakes, thanks."

"And some tea?" offered Dumbledore again, but Kingsley shook his head, "no, thanks."

_Drat, _cursed Dumbledore in his head as he summoned the plate of lemon cakes. He hadn't had the chance to put any potions on the lemons cakes yet, and he hadn't wanted to share them either, but that was only polite. The tea he offered was always ready with a very mild calming potion, and a mild controlling potion. It was legal for a Headmaster to give such potions on certain occasions, but Dumbledore abused the rule by using a loophole; the rule in question was part of a list that every headmaster has to follow, but most of them aren't very specific, so a headmaster has the ability to bend the rules when the need arises.

_Still… it shouldn't affect the meeting by much… Kingsley has always been my supporter._ He thought to himself as he served a cake to Kingsley.

"So, how have things been at the Ministry?" he asked, serving himself a piece as well, and getting himself some untainted tea, _maybe I can still tempt him to have some_.

"Same as usual…we finally caught the wizard who had been selling fake magical items… seems he was just a simple swindler looking for an extra galleon…" commented Kingsley.

Dumbledore smiled and nodded, "that's good. It's always good when things are a little boring, no? It means a little rest from worrying about dark wizards."

Kingsley shrugged, "I suppose… it's always good for the community when things are quiet. How have things been around here, Albus?" he asked, and took a bite of the lemon cake.

_Now it's time to act, rather than react_, thought Dumbledore to himself, "that is why I called you here, actually…apart from wanting to say hello to a good friend, of course." He finished with a smile, looking up at Kingsley with his eyes, leaving his head down as if worried.

"It's not out yet… thankfully… but Harry Potter is not at Hogwarts anymore… Lucius Malfoy took him." Said Dumbledore with a sigh and a shake of his head.

Kingsley was shocked when he heard that. He had been keeping up with what had been going on at school with Ronald Weasley and Harry Potter rivalry, especially this morning's paper, with Harry Potter unconscious. The Auror department had received its good share of mail and howlers demanding that something be done about that Weasley boy, and Kingsley couldn't say he didn't understand them.

"Was he kidnapped?" Kingsley asked, almost in alarm. Dumbledore calmly grabbed his tea cup and took a sip, purposely not speaking to make Kingsley worry.

"Not exactly." He answered, finally, and Kingsley almost sighed in relief, "what do you mean _not exactly_?" he asked.

"Lucius showed up yesterday with a document stating that he had custody of Harry Potter." He explained, "apparently he managed to sway Cornelius into starting some sort of _investigation_ for some reason which means that while _that _is going on, Lucius has complete control of Harry Potter."

Kingsley sighed deeply and shook his head, looking down, with trouble in his eyes. "And the first thing the man does, of course, is pull Harry Potter from Hogwarts."

"The investigation will come to nothing, of course, but it is troubling that Harry is away from us in the meantime…. Who knows what things the Malfoy family will teach little Harry." Said Dumbledore, his voice troubled.

"And Cornelius has always feared your power within the ministry, so he used this opportunity to try and take some away by making it so _you_ are under investigation… everyone knows that you were the one who placed Harry in a safe place that time." Said Kingsley, taking another bite of the lemon cake, and rubbing his face in thought.

"There has to be something we can do, Albus. The investigation will come to nothing, as you say, but it will give Cornelius the time he needs to try and pull something… maybe even force you out of some of the positions you hold…" he continued.

Dumbledore drank some more tea, and sighed worriedly, "this is what I fear. But what I have been fearing the most is poor little Harry's inevitable transformation into a dark wizard…did I tell you who his friends at _Slytherin_ house are?"

Kingsley shook his head, "no, who?"

Dumbledore sighed again, and spoke carefully, "Malfoy, Parkinson, _Nott_…and he's also been speaking to others that act very suspicious….but I forget all the names." He said, adding Nott since his father was another known Death Eater who had gotten off by bribing people in power, and using only last names on purpose, since Kingsley would be thinking of the former Death Eaters of the same names rather than innocent children.

"What? Those crooks…" he muttered, "You know they all got away by bribing everyone they could?" commented Kingsley in anger.

"Oh dear…." Said Dumbledore, his voice light, "you think their kids are just as bad?" he asked, his tone innocent.

"Of course! Maybe worse!" said Kingsley in anger. Dumbledore hid a smile, "well, you _are _the Auror… I'll trust your judgement, since you deal with these people every day."

"I know you always like to believe the better of everyone, Albus," said Kingsley understandingly, "but some people are beyond redemption."

Dumbledore sighed, as if sad, "if you say so…" he said hesitantly, "you are…right, of course… but… it's so sad."

Kingsley shook his head, "in a perfect world, kids can make friends with anyone they please, but these times are hard, Albus. You-know-who might be gone but his servants are still here, waiting for the right opportunity. And it's my job to remember that, and make sure we do something to protect those who deserve it."

"So what should we do about it? Harry is already gone… we can try to get him back, but who knows what that man will put in poor Harry's head in the meantime." Commented Dumbledore.

"Well, no one knows about the custody deal yet, right?" asked Kingsley thoughtfully. Dumbledore shook his head, "no, not yet. But it probably won't be long 'till it does come out."

Kingsley nodded, "well, then, we should make sure it comes out in a way that will be beneficial to us, then. We'll call Rita right now, get her here, and tell her what we want her to know."

"Yes, that would be best, definitely." Agreed Dumbledore,"did you see this morning's headline?" he asked, grabbing the paper neatly folded on his desk.

"Oh, yeah…according to the article, written by Skeeter herself, Ronald Weasley is single handedly redefining what it means to be a _light_ wizard… either that, or you've been secretly teaching the dark arts all along… I didn't read the whole thing, actually, I just skimmed it… but I got the gist of it." Answered Kingsley, shaking his head.

"Good morning, Headmaster, and company." Greeted Skeeter, an hour later, after she had been requested to go into the office. "Wow, I am wanted a lot today, huh." She commented with a light laugh, immediately pulling out a quill and some parchment, and letting it float next to her.

Dumbledore narrowed his eyes, "good morning, miss Skeeter, what do you mean _wanted?" _he asked, conjuring some of his _special _tea and offering her a cup. She declined and sat down, "well… let's just say I just had a very interesting little talk, with a very interesting _someone_ at the Ministry. But that's neither here nor there…" she trailed off, her eyes knowing as she stared at Dumbledore.

Dumbledore sniffed, and contained himself from asking her more, since he knew she wouldn't say anything. "And who's this?" asked Skeeter, recognizing the Auror uniform the black man was wearing.

"I'm Kingsley Shacklebolt, Ms Skeeter, it's a pleasure to meet you." He greeted her, offering her a hand to shake in greeting. She returned the gesture with the smile of a predator, "well, I can't wait to see what an Auror, and Albus Dumbledore must have in common." She commented lightly.

"We called you here because we wanted to give you a few statements regarding a recent case that involves Harry Potter." Started Dumbledore.

"Go on." Encouraged Skeeter, watching lightly as her quick quotes quill worked, as the name implies, quickly.

"Today, Lucius Malfoy took Harry Potter into his custody. Harry Potter was still unconscious when Lucius took him, so I am concerned for the poor boy's welfare." He continued.

"Well, why was Mr. Potter unconscious?" asked Skeeter.

"Mr Potter was recently transfered to Gryffindor house for his own safety, and he had a small skirmish with one of his new dorm mates, Ron Weasley. Apparently the boy wasn't informed of little Harry's transfer, and like the loyal housemate he is, he got concerned when he saw Harry in his dorm. Harry, unfortunately brainwashed by his Gryffindor-hating ex-dorm mates, retaliated without informing poor Ron that they could be friends now." Dumbledore explained lightly, as if unconcerned about the whole thing.

"I was informed by reliable sources that Harry shouldn't have been transferred to Gryffindor at all, is that correct?" asked Skeeter, quickly reviewing what her quick quotes quill was writing.

"I'm afraid you've been misinformed, any student can be transferred if their legal guardian requests it." Explained Dumbledore, hiding behind the lie, since he figured there was no way she would know any different.

Skeeter frowned slightly, she was well informed, since she had just come from a meeting with the Minister himself, along with undersecretary Umbridge, and Lucius Malfoy. They had explained to her what was going on and what they wanted from her, and even gone so far as to give her access to a few select pages from certain important documents regarding Harry Potter.

Her complete cooperation with everything they were requesting would grant her one of the biggest stories since the Dark Lord's downfall. Some of the things Dumbledore was explaining to her clearly clashed with what she had learned from her aforementioned meeting. Still, she would play along for now, if anything to be able to use whatever these two say against them.

"I was under the impression that if a student doesn't want to transfer, then even a request to the Headmaster himself is useless." She commented, looking at Dumbledore and then at Shacklebolt, who had yet to provide any input.

"If there is sufficient evidence which proves the transfer is for the student's own good, then they can be transfered regardless of the student's wants or desires." Explained Dumbledore, pulling out even more smoke from his rear end.

"Mmhh….I heard something about an investigation…care to comment?" asked Skeeter lightly, crossing her legs, and smiling slightly.

Dumbledore sighed, as if sad and disappointed, but inwardly he was seething, because Skeeter was way more informed then he had imagined.

"I'm afraid that's nothing more than a farce of an investigation in an attempt to sway poor Harry to the side of the Dark. I wish there was something more I could do about it… but I fear Lucius Malfoy has too much influence in the Ministry. If I could, I would take poor, little, loving Harry into custody myself, to try and sway him back to the side that won't disappoint his parents." Said Dumbledore sadly, shaking his head, and looking down at his desk, as if he can't bear the thoughts in his head.

Meanwhile, Harry was staring in shock at the book in his hands. He'd always thought that _Harry_ was his name, but apparently he'd been wrong. According to the book, his real name is Henry James Nathaniel Potter, and Harry felt it fit him better, somehow, than the name he'd always thought was his. _Henry_ he repeated in his head, and a smile broke out, and a short laugh escaped him. It was exciting to have a new name.

"My name is _Henry_ Potter, not _Harry_ Potter." He murmured with a smile. The book also included some of his personal information, like where he goes to school, and who his parents are. "This is an amazing book."

Lucius was quite impressed by now, the reason? James Potter. Rare and shocking, really, seeing as they were on opposing sides of the war, but now he was starting to realize something, James might have been on the opposing side, but he was a pureblood, through and through.

"Why does everyone call me _Harry_ if my name is _Henry_?" asked Harry, his voice wondering, and confused. Lucius sighed, and thought about how to explain it to Harry, "in our world… names are very important." He started saying, "if someone knows your full name, there are many things they can attempt to do with it….rituals, fake documents….amongst other things. Purebloods such as my family, and the families of your friends, know this, and protect themselves the most. It is also why we stick together so much, and with so many issues." He explained, and Harry nodded slowly, as if slowly understanding.

"As it is," he continued explaining, "Dumbledore seems to have some documents that he _claims_ were given to him by your parents, but I'm sure if we get a look at them, they'll say _Harry_ rather than _Henry._"

"And that matters?" asked Harry, only slightly confused. "Of course it matters, any document that's honest would have your full true name, rather than _Harry_ on it, which is no more than a nickname. Aside from that, there would be other measures of control of authenticity, however, the name is the most important."

"But how does that work out for other things, like school?" asked Harry, confused. Lucius hummed in thought, "When I was in school, the professor called out Lucius Malfoy, however, my name is longer than that. What name did the professor call out for you and your friends?" he asked, and Harry's eyes widened a bit. "For me it was Harry Potter…for Draco, simply Draco Malfoy….and…actually, Ron was called out as simply Ron Weasley…"

"What does that tell you, Harry?" he asked, waiting for Harry to think it through. "Well…all the names it called out are the names that people use in public, right? So…magic makes it so that we're recognized by our public names?" asked Harry.

"Yes, it is somewhat like that. You can think of yourself as Henry, and even have others call you Henry in private…but any letters from school will arrive to you as Harry Potter. As you must have learned in school, pronunciation of a spell is important for the outcome to be what you want it to be, the same it is with a lot of things in our world."

"Oh…that makes sense….if the wording of things is important for spells and charms….why not for names, as well?" commented Harry.

They were interrupted at that point by Narcissa, who glided into the room with a small stack of books in her hands. "Lucius, dear, you're needed at St. Mungos." She said, "Ms. Granger's awake." She explained, and Lucius nodded, "well, Harry, we'll continue with this later. I must attend to some matters now…" he trailed off, and greeted both Harry and Narcissa before walking off.

Narcissa smiled gently at Harry when they were finally alone, and she walked over to him and sat on the bed. "I brought you some reading material, Harry."

Harry sat up, excited, he had been getting bored from sitting in bed all the time, even if it had only been two days since he had woken up. The potions he had been drinking had done him some good, and Harry about about ready to start fidgeting by now. Of course, there had been several excitements since he had woken up, including learning of his true name, and how important it was.

At times, Harry thought it was almost too much, but then he thought of the Headmaster, trying to force him to fit into his view of the Golden Boy that everyone seemed to want him to be, and he was infinitely grateful that he had become friends with Draco instead of Ron. From the beginning, Ron had somewhat reminded him of Dudley, at least the _no manners at all _and _stuffs his face with food that's not his_ part.

Draco had, at first, reminded him of a more refined Dudley, the type that would bully you but had actually been taught manners. Now, however, he realized that Draco was not a bully; simply, he had grown up in a certain way, along with all his other friends, and that made them very… well, prejudiced, in a way, but still that wasn't completely true. They were discriminate of everything, from clothes, to food, to people, so he didn't think it was proper to call it prejudiced, but simply, it was the way they had grown up. Only around certain people, and around a certain type of things, so of course, they had very discriminating tastes.

He could even understand where they came from when it came to people like Hermione Granger. It wasn't that muggleborn's were bad, in and of themselves, but it was just that the way they grew up made them automatically classify certain things as bad simply _because_ of the way they grew up. The goal was to teach them _not_ to do that, and Harry thought that the best way would be to have muggleborns start school a whole year earlier than the rest of the students.

He had heard of that practice done in the muggle world, when it came to students who were just starting their first year at a school, although usually the practice involved only them starting about a week earlier than the others, but the same applied here. There were just too many things for them to learn to be able to fit it in just one week.

He was interrupted from his thoughts, however, when Narcissa grabbed one of the books in her pile and presented it to him. He read the cover, "Important Wizarding Events, Volume One, Up To The 1700s"

Narcissa smiled at him, and explained, "I've brought you several books from our library for you to study and catch up with our culture. That first book has another two volumes, they're rather summarized, but they're a good place to start. If there's any event in specific that you want to know more about, there's a reference list at the back of the book."

Harry made a noise of interest, and quickly skimmed through the book, noticing it looked like a typical muggle history book, except for the pictures, they all had what looked like a button drawn on the lower left hand corner. Narcissa quickly explained, "if you press your index finger to it, the picture comes alive, and talks to you about the event in relation to the picture. You have some pictures, like this one, which are of people…. Portraits, if you will, others have battle depictions, and other things, those usually will show you an event, rather than explain anything verbally."

Harry smiled, "that's really wicked." He said, staring at the frozen image of a regal looking man, before closing the book, and looking at the others.

Narcissa held up another book, and then passed it over to Harry, "this one is a Treatise On Energy, basically explaining about the energy in everything, what we call magic, which is in us, but it's also all around us. You'll learn a lot from this book when you read it."

Harry noticed this book was mostly words, although it did have some graphs, and a few moving pictures. He put in on the side, on top of the other one, and looked up again. Narcissa gave him another book, "this one is a book about the government, some of the basics on how the government works…. The different departments…. When and why each department was started…" she trailed off and handed him another book, this one was easily triple in size than the other books. "This one contains all the laws. It's self-updating, so it has all the current laws, and it also has all the old laws as well. It's separated into sections, you can read an overview of all the current laws, first, then you can expand it by pressing _here_," she showed Harry a drawn round button on a lone page, "and read in detail about each of the current laws, when you expand it, you're not getting _all_ the laws, simply sections, which you can also expand depending on what type of law you want to read about: laws that involve marriage….magical creatures…education…magical contracts…even laws that are specific to a certain age group, and laws specific to muggleborns, and wizards living in the muggle world."

Harry nodded in understanding, glad he didn't have to read the whole thing at once, and he could just chose what to read and learn that way. Narcissa continued, "the other sections of the book involve very old laws that are seldom enforced, and laws that have been overturned, and why."

Narcissa took a deep breath, "this book is yours to keep, Harry." She said, and Harry looked up at her quickly, "what?" he asked, confused. Narcissa explained, "this is a very expensive book on laws, Harry. It's also the most complete book of laws of our land. This will be useful to you for years, and years to come, so I'm giving it to you as a gift… I know you might not be used to such gifts, but please, for my sake, accept it, and read it. You can thank me by putting it to good use, and making the laws work _for_ you, rather than for your enemies."

Harry took a deep breath, and nodded, "thank you." He whispered, caressing the cover of the book. Harry didn't know it, but this book would become one his most precious possessions, and not just because, aside from Hedwig, it's one of his first gifts ever.

Afterwards, she gave him several other books on wizarding culture, and other basic thing that she said are good background on things that any proper wizard should know. She didn't say the word _pureblood_, when she said "things any proper wizard should know", but Harry assumed it was implied.

Meanwhile, Lucius made his way quickly to the right wing on St. Mungos. He had asked to be called as soon as Hermione Granger had woken up, and today he had gotten the call. He was actually surprised she had woken up so soon, since she was supposed to be recovering from a near fatal magical drain from when she had defended herself against the Troll.

Of course, being awake, and being able to use magic were two different things. He hadn't gotten a read on her condition, yet, but he would know soon enough. After he saw her, he would get her parents brought in to see her, and then they would go from there.

Lucius had Granger's parents brought in twice before, so it would be no problem to bring them in once more now, especially given how important it was to his plans to have the girl's support along with that of her parents, even if they _are_ muggles.

A Mediwizard met him at the door to Granger's room, "she's awake, and stable, but her magical levels are still extremely low. She'll recover eventually, but it'll take a while; she's pretty weak right now… fragile, due to the low levels in her magic."

Lucius nodded, "so what needs to be done for her?"

"Well, she needs to be on several potions a day…. She's going to need a dose of nutrient potion every day, since most of the food she eats will go towards repairing and recovering her core. She'll need an enhancer, taken in small doses three times a day… it'll help her healing process, and make her magic recover faster…. She might also get headaches, and tire a lot easier, so I'll prescribe some safe potions that won't interfere with her recovery process. She'll need to be on bed rest for at least a month, so I'll prescribe a weak dose of a potion that'll keep her muscles from weakening too much." Explained the mediwizard, before taking a short breath, and speaking closer to the man, "most importantly, Lord Malfoy, she needs to be in a magical environment _constantly_. It is imperative for her quick recovery; as it is, it'll take her a few months to recover, since she came very close to death… however, I understand she's muggleborn…. If she goes back to the muggle world for recovery, it could take her up to a year, at least, before she can recover enough to go back to school."

Lucius nodded in understanding, "I suspected as much….I will be speaking with her parents about this myself, and I'll get them to agree to allow her to stay at _my_ home for her recovery."

"That'll be for the best, Lord Malfoy, do you want to see her now?" asked the medi-wizard. Lucius nodded and walked into the room, right behind the other man.

Hermione was staring at an empty wall, her mind running sluggishly, she couldn't remember the last time she had felt so weak. She was still feeling confused about what had happened to her, she vaguely remembered that foul boy Ron Weasley insulting her for being too smart and having no friends, then there was this giant beast trying to squash her like a bug. And now she was here… the doctor…. _Mediwizard_, she reminded herself, had told her she had magical exhaustion. But she was still feeling pretty disoriented, though.

The door opened, and the mediwizard walked in, followed by the handsomest most regal looking man she had ever seen. "Hello, again, Hermione. How are you feeling?" the mediwizard asked her. "…Still very disoriented….and exhausted…"

The mediwizard nodded in understanding, "that's to be expected, actually, and as a matter of fact, this man here with me has offered to help you with that….so if it's alright, I'll just leave you two so you can talk, while I get your parents, alright?"

Hermione nodded, and the mediwizard left, leaving her alone with Lucius Malfoy.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you in your waking state, Ms. Granger. My name is Lucius Malfoy, you might know my son? Draco Malfoy?" he said in greeting.

"Uh, yes, I do know him… in passing… pleasure to meet you, as well, sir." She responded, slightly confused as to how this man could help her.

"Let me get to the point, then." He started saying, "The MediWizard has informed me that for your recovery, you need to be in a magical environment such as Hogwarts, or a wizarding home." He explained, and she listened attentively, she was almost sure of what the man was about to say.

"Naturally," he continued, "you cannot go to Hogwarts for a while because of your weakened state, however, I am offering you my home for as long as you should need it."

Hermione's eyes went wide, even though she had suspected what the man was going to say, it was still quite surprising. She remembered Draco Malfoy, of course, always with his small group of friends in Slytherin, one of those friends including the boy-who-lived, the usually tended to ignore her… mostly because she kept out of their way… and besides, her own classmates had always done enough mocking of her without the Slytherins having to add anything.

At that moment, the mediwizard came back, with her parents in tow. "Hermione! Oh, honey, you're awake." They exclaimed, walking around Lucius Malfoy, and sitting on the bed to hug Hermione for all she was worth. After a few moments, they released her, and greeted Lucius warmly, after all, the man had been kind to them.

After pleasantries were exchanged, Lucius, with the help of the Mediwizard, explained in detail what the situation with Hermione was. "Before you got here, I was just telling your daughter that I'm offering my home to her, for her recovery, and continued studies, until we feel she's well enough to go back to Hogwarts… possibly in time to start her second year."

"We greatly appreciate the offer, of course, and understand why it's necessary… but…well…" hesitated Mr. Granger, and his wife took over. "What my husband is trying to say is, we don't want to impose, and… well, we don't want her to feel alone, you understand?" she explained.

"Of course, of course…. I should let you know I'm currently housing another Hogwarts student who is also recovering from an attack. Harry Potter? Miss Granger might know him?" said Lucius, his tone persuasive.

"Oh, of course!" exclaimed Hermione, "what happened to him?" she asked, worriedly. Lucius sighed, "well… actually, he was attacked by Ron Weasley… and… from what I understand, he's carries some guilt over what happened to you, as well?" he explained, and asked, looking at Hermione, almost in understanding.

Hermione looked down, almost ashamed, and nodded. "So you see," continued Lucius, "she won't be alone. Mr. Potter is also recovering, and feeling quite weak, as well, so they will be in companionship while staying at my home. Also, my son will be coming back for the holidays, and several friends will be coming to visit, as well, over the holidays. Hermione, of course, can't leave the magical environment, as long as she's recovering, however, you are welcome to come over to my home and stay for Yule, and through boxing day."

The four of them spoke some more, and made arrangements; Hermione and her parents were finally persuaded, and all the details were discussed. By the time Lucius left, everything had been arranged, and Hermione's parents were staying with her some more. The Mediwizard agreed she could be moved as soon as tonight, so Lucius had a house elf move all of the girl's stuff into a guest room right next to Harry's.

Lucius, of course, didn't leave before making them all sign a magically binding document which basically said, in legal form, everything they had already discussed. It was mostly a way to make sure Dumbledore wouldn't be able to complain about Hermione being in Lucius' home.

Once Hermione was finally alone once again, she found herself overwhelmed. First she finds out she's a witch, which she had always suspected, since all kinds of weird things had always seemed to happen to her… then she goes to Hogwarts, expecting to find children more like her, and she figured the reason she had always been teased had been simply because she didn't belong in the normal world; but then, she had found herself disappointed when it turned out that the magical children were just the same as normal children, except with magic.

Worst of all was that Ronald Weasley, he was always the first one to start teasing her, and calling her names. The worst had been when she had tried to help him in class, and despite this he had called her a nightmare! What had she ever done to that boy to deserve such treatment? But then, after right now, finding out that the same boy had also injured the boy-who-lived, Hermione realized the boy was simply foul.

It made her feel better, in a way, because it meant the teasing wasn't _personal_ in the sense that he hated her or anything, she was just an easy target for the foul boy.

Most overwhelming of all, was the fact that now, only about an hour or so from now, she was going to be taken to Malfoy Manor! She had heard all about Malfoy Manor, mostly from Draco Malfoy's boasting, and also from a simple book she had found in the library, a book on Architecture…. Of course, it was about _magical_ architecture…. But still, it had included a few details on old U.K. Magical structures, and the Grand Malfoy Manor had been on it, however briefly, but she was excited, because according to her readings, the manor was a couple of hundred years old.

Of course, the fact was, she was going to be recovering _at_ Malfoy Manor, and she was probably going to be getting private tutors, along with the boy-who-lived! How exciting! Hermione didn't know _what_ she had done to deserve all this, but she wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth.

Meanwhile, back at Hogwarts, one of the objects of Hermione's thoughts and troubles was hurriedly walking to lunch and doing something weird, he was thinking. Ron Weasley was a proud boy, he was proud to be a pureblood, he was proud to be a Weasley, he was even proud to be a _poor_ pureblood…. He felt as if it gave an example of the type of family his was, to show they valued other things than gold… of course, he wouldn't have begrudged a few more galleons in the family vault, but in the meantime, he had no other choice but to be _proud_ of being poor. Ron knew he didn't have a lot of things to be proud of in his life, so whatever he could add to the list, he would, even if he didn't particularly hold much belief in it.

He was definitely proud to be a Gryffindor, though, a member of the house of the brave, and the light. One thing he didn't have right now, though… was courage, another valued thing that was supposed to represent Gryffindor. He was looking around every corner, and trying to avoid everyone, except a few people. He had seen the way the school had been looking at him every since the Prophet had been read that morning, and he didn't like it. How was it _his_ fault that Potter turned out to be a traitorous dark wizard?

Still, he had seen the way the students, the Slytherin's in particular, had been looking at him, and he was jumpy. He knew they would want to avenge Harry-Bloody-Potter, especially since Dumbledore had deemed it all a simple friendly altercation and had only given him two detentions with Hagrid… two hours each, saturday and sunday… it could have been worse. But he knew the Slytherin's wouldn't be satisfied with that, which was why he was jumpy, and when the twins had smirked at him only a few minutes earlier, he had almost pissed his pants.

Ron knew the twins had taken a particular liking to the traitor, Merlin knows why, and it was entirely possible that they would have a few ideas up their sleeves in order to avenge the traitor. The only reason for that would probably be simply because it gave them an excuse to prank him, and any excuse was a good excuse for the twins. Ron also knew that the twins prank _everyone_, which means that no one in particular is their enemy, not even those who deserve it, like the Slytherins. Ron felt this made the twins hopelessly naive, because who knew _what_ those evil death eaters in training would do when your back was turned.

Now Ron was heading to dinner, though, because he felt he was just that brave. There was no way he would ever miss a meal, regardless of how fearful he was of the slytherins retaliating in favor of Harry-Bloody-Potter. He had even gone to all his classes, too, and he was particularly thankful that he didn't have potions that day. _I can't wait for dinner…_ thought Ronald to himself, as he walked through the halls on his way to dinner, _I wonder if they'll have sheppard's pie tonight? Maybe I can mix an omelette with some of the breaded mushrooms and the steak and kidney pudding! Oooh, I wonder if I could ask the elves to make some simnel cake? _

He hummed as he walked into the dinning hall with other students, and smiled brightly when he saw the tables were already laden with food. He sat down, and a goblet appeared right in front of him, already filled with pumpkin juice, _elves are so efficient_ he thought to himself, as he grabbed it without a thought and drank deeply from it. He dropped it back on the table once it was empty, and started loading his plate with all kinds of food-stuff.

If Ron had paid attention to anyone or anything, other than his food, and his two friends, Dean, and Seamus, he would have noticed the smirks that Draco and the rest kept shooting his way. But, he did not notice, therefore, he missed Blaise as he kept counting down until the potion and spell combination took effect. Daphne was studiously ignoring the Gryffindor table, because no revenge was worth it if she had to becomes nauseated from watching Ron Weasley eat. Draco was eating as quickly as possible, and Blaise was counting while he took bites out of his meal, in an attempt to make sure no one noticed that he was doing a count down, especially because the Headmaster was always very careful to sneak peeks at them at mealtimes, and it'd be easy for him to simply place the blame on them if he noticed them counting right before their revenge activated.

Suddenly, Blaise stopped counting, and after a beat, they all subtly turned to look at Ron, who, right on schedule, scratched him arm. He was eating and talking at the same time, and food kept dropping from his mouth to the plate. It was disgusting, but they were willing to bear it just this once, and Daphne, of course, had stopped eating altogether. Ron scratched his other arm, and frowned, but he didn't stop eating. Seconds later, he dropped his fork, and scratched the back of his neck, before reaching down to scratch his leg. He frowned, annoyed, and pulled his sleeve back to reveal his arm.

Everyone stopped eating, and the Great Hall was deathly quiet, everyone turned to stare at Ron Weasley, who had just screamed his head off, and was in the process of taking off his robe. Ron kept screaming and, as far as everyone was concerned, he started hitting himself. Professor McGonagall jumped from her chair, followed by Madam Pomfrey, and they both hurried over to Ron's side, who was now screaming _"spiders! Spiders everywhere!"_ as he took off his shirt.

The Slytherin side of the hall slowly started chuckling, before they all started laughing loudly. Ron, who was now bare-chested, was trying to push McGonagall and Pomfrey away from him, while attempting to get rid of his pants. The Ravenclaws, who had their table right beside the Gryffindors, at seeing that the spiders Ron kepts screaming about were non existent, started laughing as well, and passed on the word to the Hufflepuffs that Ron was hallucinating. Some 'puffs were worried, but others started laughing lightly at the half naked Ron, and the struggling head of house.

Finally, right when Ron's pants were halfway down his legs, revealing a ratty old underwear, Madam Pomfrey huffed, and cast a spell at Ron, who immediately froze and fell down. Seconds later, Pomfrey, McGonagall, and a frozen and levitated Ron, exited the room, much to the laughter of everyone, who got to see a half-naked, frozen Ron, who still bore a look of horror.

The laughter slowly died down when the Headmaster got up from his throne-like golden chair. He stared at everyone, a frown on his old, wrinkled face, "This," he started saying, "is either an _attack_ against a _student_, or a prankgone wrong…." He trailed off and looked carefully at the usual suspects. He took particular care to study the Weasley twins, and then turned his face to the Slytherin table. They were all studiously looking away from him, and their faces revealed nothing he could use against them.

"I will ask," he continued, his tone loud, and serious, "that whoever is responsible, get up, _now_." He finished, and looked around, his words had been laced with a compulsion spell, that gently washed over all the students. No one, however, fell victim to his compulsion spell, and no one got up. Albus figured it was simply because there are just too many students in the Hall, and the ones he feels are responsible, sit too far away from him for the compulsion to reach them.

Dumbledore sighed, "I see you are feeling shame for your actions, and wish to approach me in private." He said, finally, after deciding to try and salvage the situation, "therefore, I will be in my office, after dinner, awaiting for whoever was responsible for this tragic prank gone wrong. If you wish to maintain your anonymity due to your great, and most awful, shame, then so be it, I will respect your desires." He finished slowly, his voice full of understanding and love, then he sighed again, looked down towards the floor, as if sad and disappointed, and then sighed sadly again, before finally sitting back down.

Mealtime continued as a lively affair after only a few seconds of silence, because it seemed everyone was terribly interested, and most amused at what had occurred. There were a lot of suspects being mentioned, since Ron Weasley hadn't been the most favorite person in the school since he had sent Harry Potter into a coma, so for once, no one immediately suspected the Weasley twins or the Slytherins. Although, they were the prime choice for most people.

The next morning, Harry had finally been allowed to get up from bed for breakfast, and he was ecstatic. Harry had been going over all the books that Narcissa had left him, although in less than a day, all he had done was mostly skim over them. The culture and law books had been particular favorites of his, and he was already planning on reading the culture book first, and in great detail. The law book was tied in first place, as far as Harry was concerned, since there was a lot of stuff going on in his life lately that were being affected by law, he wanted to be more educated in that regard. Moreover, he was particularly intrigued with finding any and all laws that have a direct correlation with how Dumbledore was able to mess up so much in his life.

Harry felt his life had definitely taken a turn for the better, finally, and he was almost half tempted to send Ronald a christmas gift, since he wouldn't be at Malfoy manor right now if it wasn't for the jealous git.

Harry had been finally taken to the dinning area that morning, and he was surprised to see Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy having breakfast at a simple wooden table that was only big enough for six people. Narcissa, of course, explained that they always have their meals here, since most of the time it's just Lucius and her at the manor. They have a bigger table in one of the manor's grand halls that is reserved for celebrations, reunions, and holidays. So Harry happily ate an old fashioned full English breakfast, with tea and fresh squeezed orange juice, they ate slowly and made conversation. Harry was surprisingly at ease with the both of them, and he was very content to listen to Lucius and Narcissa talk about the ministry and other adult things. They were interrupted when a house elf brought the mail, which included a short letter attached to a book for Harry, who blushed when he read that the book had been _borrowed_ from the school by Blaise and Draco; how awkward to receive such a thing when right in front of Lucius and Narcissa, who as his guardians, are the closest thing to parents that he has right now.

"What did you receive, Harry?" asked Narcissa with a loving smile, she had grown fond of the child as if he was Draco himself, it could be because Draco himself spoke often and fondly of Harry in his letters to her, but still, seeing the boy herself she knew just why Draco liked him so much.

Harry hesitated, "…a book… it's… a school thing… uhm Draco and Blaise sent it, I had been looking for something that showed Hogwarts students… and they found it for me…"

"Oh? Were you looking for something that showed your parents, Harry?" asked Narcissa, with a small understanding smile, and Harry's eyes went slightly wide, and he was startled for a second before he nodded hastily. Lucius smirked, "I wasn't aware that one was able to take school books _out_ of the school…" he commented lightly, as he took a bite from his buttered toast, and took a sip of coffee.

Harry looked at him with wide eyes, and then looked down at his place, he hesitated, not knowing what to say, before biting his lips, and playing with his food. Lucius chuckled and Harry looked at him and blushed, "well," Lucius said, "I'm sure you didn't know that, Harry, so once you find what you're looking for, just make sure to send the book back to Draco, alright? No harm done." He finished with an amused smile, and Harry looked relieved, "yes, sir." He answered with a small smile, before he went back to eating.

"Harry," called Lucius, after a few seconds, "do you remember the muggleborn that Weasley insulted?" he asked, and Harry frowned in thought, "Granger, right?" he answered, after only a second, clearly remembering not just that incident, but the fact that he had found her personal journal at Dumbledore's office. "Yes, she awoke yesterday, and she is currently residing here with us."

"Oh," said Harry clearly startled by the news, "how come?" he asked carefully, after all he knew there couldn't be any strategic reason for having a mudblood here with at the Malfoy's. "Well, the Mediwizard at St. Mungos said she needs to be in a magical environment, constantly, for her recovery, so I volunteered my home." He explained lightly, "she'll be here as long as it takes for her to recover enough of her magic, meanwhile, she'll be studying with _you_."

Harry took a deep breath and held it for a few seconds before letting it go in a sigh, and taking a big bite from his breakfast. His mouth was very full, and it served to give Harry a few seconds before he had to say anything, but of course, Lucius and Narcissa both immediately noticed the delay tactic, and exchanged quick glances. And Lucius continued speaking before Harry had a chance to swallow, "…but of course, she's still quite weak right now, so it'll be a while before she's strong enough to even get up from bed… in the meantime, I'll be getting you a tutor, and you'll be studying on your own."

Harry sighed in relief, "oh…so… when do you think I'll… return to Hogwarts?" asked Harry relieved that he wouldn't have to be around the uppity mudblood who lorded her knowledge over everyone all the time.

"I expect that you won't rejoin your classmates until your second year," explained Lucius, "so your tutor will be going over what you would be studying at Hogwarts, among other things…. And you'll take the end-of-year exams in front of a licensed tutor from the ministry… but don't worry, you won't take them until at least the same date when you'd take them at Hogwarts…. Maybe even later than that…" he trailed off, thinking.

Harry took a deep breath, and spoke his thoughts, "you said I'll be studying other things, too…" he started saying, and Lucius nodded, "so," continued Harry, "I was thinking, would it be possible to go over the stuff from Hogwarts _faster_ so I can get it out of the way, and I can take the end-of-year exams earlier, maybe? And… then I could have more time to dedicate to studying the other stuff you mentioned…?"

Narcissa smiled, "I think that's a great idea, Harry, we can get the silly stuff out of the way, and get to the more important stuff, like pureblood traditions. It's possible to change the date of the exams for Harry, isn't it, honey?" asked Narcissa, looking lovingly at Lucius.

"Of course, those weak minded fools at the ministry will be falling all over themselves to help the boy-who-lived." He scoffed, and then he looked calmly at Harry who was looking only a tad uncomfortable, but also pleased. "I know you're not exactly comfortable with everyone recognizing you everywhere, Harry, but you have to learn how to use it in your favor, too."

At the same time that Harry was enjoying his breakfast with the Malfoy's, Ron Weasley was currently in the Hogwarts infirmary twitching on a bed in the middle of the room. "Spiders….spiders….spiders….everywhere!" he kept muttering, and when Madam Pomfrey approached him with a breakfast tray, and some potions, he started yelling and trying to get as far away as possible without getting out of bed. "Get away from! You're a giant spider! You won't fool me!" he yelled at the MediWitch, and Pomfrey sighed before freezing him with a spell and forcing some of the food and potions down his frozen throat.

At that moment, the door to the infirmary opened, and McGonagall came in, along with Dumbledore, and Molly Weasley. Molly ran to Pomfrey's side, and stared at her frozen son in shock, who still had a look of horror on his face. "What's wrong with him! Albus told me someone played a prank on him, why is he like this?" she asked, shocked, and Pomfrey sighed and explained, "your son seems to be terrified of spiders…. And the prank involved making him hallucinate that spiders were all around him… now it seems the potion that was in his system, causing him to hallucinate, is gone now, however, the effects on his mind are longer lasting."

Molly was shocked, "who would play such an awful prank on my baby! Surely it had to be some of those awful, evil, dark wizards from Slytherin, right Albus?" she asked, looking from her little frozen boy, to Albus, who was standing a few feet away. Albus sighed, "unfortunately, it's not that simple, Molly dear." He answered her, and at her questioning look, he sighed again and continued, "ever since the incident between Ronald and Harry, in which Harry ended up unconscious and was promptly removed from the school for specialized care, the majority of the students seem to harbor an intense dislike for Ronald… perchance, they found out he received only 2 detentions for his actions, and they decided it wasn't enough punishment for harming the Savior of the Wizarding World…" he explained and trailed off, thinking to himself _maybe I should have told Minerva to give the boy one or two weeks worth of detentions with Severus, instead if the light and almost nonexistent punishment he received…_

"Is there anything you can do for my baby?" she asked gently, before walking closer to Albus, and then asking another question, "and what are you going to do to catch whoever is responsible for this, Albus? I expect to see some punishment for this! What my son did to that boy is nothing compared to what my baby is suffering now!" she yelled, and then added, "I expect to see a lot of detentions, and when that _boy_ comes back, I expect you to _punish_ him, too! For causing this to happen!"

Albus sighed, "I'm afraid that, despite everything, I must disagree with you, Molly." He started saying in answer, and Molly bristled, but before she could go on a tirade, Albus continued, "Harry is still unconscious, Molly. What happened to Ronald, I'm afraid… is fair, and partly _my_ fault. I ordered Minerva to give him only two detentions for his actions when he clearly deserved a lot more. The Ministry hasn't contacted me _yet_, but I expect someone to drop by soon… there have been a lot of articles in the Prophet about Ronald's actions against other students, and they have tied his actions to adults here in the school…. I'm afraid this goes beyond a simple school rivalry the likes of which can be usually swept under the rug…"

Molly took a sharp deep breath, "those awful meddlers at the Prophet! It can't be legal for them to talk about the actions of an underaged kid at school?"

"Actually… the laws in regards to what they can or can't write about aren't very strict, Molly, so there isn't much we can do…" explained Albus, remembering how it was completely his doing that the Prophet had such free reign in regards to their stories…_articles_….Albus had figured that it would be in the interest of the Greater Good if the Prophet was allowed such freedoms, because it was in his plans to have them speak ill of Harry Potter, simply to be able to defend the boy afterwards, and have Harry love him even more because of it. Of course, it all came back to bite him where the sun don't shine, unfortunately, since through his own doing, now his opposition was attacking whatever little good reputation him and his allies have.

Madam Pomfrey coughed, and everyone turned to her, "I recommend," she started saying, "that you remove Mr. Weasley from the school, and transfer him to a psychiatric center."

Molly was startled and quite angry at that, "what! Why!" she yelled, her voice a screech, and Pomfrey sighed and spoke in a low tone, the kind that forced angry people to calm down if they wanted to hear what she was saying, "Mr. Weasley is mentally disturbed, Mrs. Weasley. He needs professional help, the kind of which is not provided at a school infirmary." When she finished speaking, she unfroze Ron, who immediately threw up everything Pomfrey had given him, before he started yelling about spiders again.

"Spiders everywhere! Just hiding, hiding! They wanna get me, they wanna get me! Keep them away! Keep them away!" he yelled and looked around the room, his eyes wide and red, his face drawn and pale.

Molly walked closer to him, only for him to start accusing her of being a giant spider in disguise, so Molly burst out crying, and decided Pomfrey was right. "If he can't even recognize his own mommy…." She murmured as the tears and snot coated her face, "then you're right….he needs help…"

Pomfrey walked away from her in disgust, and went to get a pamphlet from her office, "here." She said, handing her a pamphlet quickly and stepping away from the snot covered woman.

"What's this?" she asked, as she used her robe to clean all the tears and snot from her face. "It's the only place I can recommend for you," answered Pomfrey, "it's mostly run by a small fund from the Ministry…. Although you'll still need to pay a very small monthly fee." She explained, knowing that her family wouldn't be able to afford any of the normal places.

"Public Sanitarium for Witches and Wizards?" said Molly as she read the name of the hospital in the pamphlet that Pomfrey had given her. "We, at the PSWW, vow to provide the best care your money can afford to your ailing witch or wizard."

Albus sighed, "it is for the best, Molly." He commented, "we can only hope he'll be well enough to rejoin classes as soon as possible."

Pomfrey nodded in agreement, "I'll contact the Sanitarium and arrange transport with them. They'll come with paperwork for you to fill, and you'll need to give them an extremely small 5 galleon fee to admit Mr. Weasley. It is why I suggested this place, it's extremely affordable, even for those of low income."

Molly froze, _a five galleon fee?_ She thought to herself with dispair, _and she thinks that's affordable to us? She thinks five galleons is an extremely small amount to pay? Goodness, we must be poorer than I thought…. I guess I won't be able to buy any food this week… I think we still have enough, though… now that Ron is at school…_ she thought to herself, and she started crying again, because she realized that Ron wouldn't be at school anymore. _Ronniekins always did eat as much as me, Arthur and Ginny all put together… _she thought with fondness, and she was almost glad they weren't sending Ron back home, maybe this illness would also teach Ron to not eat so much? Maybe when he got better, they wouldn't have to waste so much money on food anymore.

"Alright" she said, "you make the arrangements… I have to go back home to get some money… I'm afraid I came in a hurry, and I wasn't expecting to need anything…"

Albus took a deep breath, this was a good opportunity to get on everyone's good side, "no need to worry, Molly, _I_ will take care of everything in regards to Ronald, after all he is a valued student at this school, and I take care of students at this school." He said imperiously, and Molly started crying and she hugged Albus gratefully, "oh thank you, Albus, thank you, you're a saint!" she crooned and cried, glad she wouldn't have to spend what little money they had on caring for Ron's illness, especially when he shouldn't have been ill in the first place.

Albus laughed, in a manner similar to Santa Claus, and patted Molly's back with his right hand. Of course, what he neglected to say was that he would be taking money out of the Potter trust fund to pay for it, after all, the boy was indirectly responsible for Ron's plight. Even after all of Lucius' threats and posturing, Albus still had access to all the Potter trust vaults, and all the treasures and gold he had been able to acquire from said vaults were still in his possession. He felt vindicated, because obviously the man didn't have any, or enough, proof that he had done anything wrong. Albus felt like cackling all of a sudden.

**End of Chapter ~**

**Chiyoku says: **I hope you enjoyed reading the chapter as much I enjoyed writing it! Hopefully, even more than I enjoyed writing it… heh.

Remember to _**review**_ please! It gives me great strength. Plus, I just like to know what you guys think, even if you have anything you didn't particularly like, I still wanna know. Maybe you found a mistake or something? As long as it's worded politely, I welcome all reviews!

One last thing, even if you don't review at all, I hope you enjoyed reading anyways, and I hope you stick around for future chapters!


	15. Chapter 15

**Chiyoku says: **Hi guys, thanks for all the reviews! It's been great reading them all! Sorry that I couldn't answer all, but trust me, every one of them is important, I read them all, and I think about everything you guys tell me. That said, sorry for taking so long in updating… life got in the way. I'm going to be participating in NaNoWriMo during the month of November (I know… it's started already…) but I've been finishing this chapter first… that means, though, that you definitely shouldn't expect another update this month.

One last thing, my sister helped me with the part where I describe what everyone is wearing, and I'll be putting up links in my profile for the websites where she got her ideas. I mean… links that direct to the pictures of the robes and dresses…. Just in case you're curious. So go to my profile and check it out.

**Enjoy!**

**Alternation Nation**

**A fanfiction by Chiyoku Shibata**

_**Recap: **__Dumbledore has a meeting with auror Kingsley Shacklebolt, he also calls Rita Skeeter. It's all done to further his agenda in regards to gaining back control of Harry. Meanwhile, Harry learns that his real name is Henry James Nathaniel Potter, and "Harry" is just a nickname. Lucius explains to Harry the significance of no one knowing his legal name. Later, Narcissa gives Harry some books, along with a book on law, while Lucius goes to the Hospital because Hermione woke up. Lucius takes Hermione to the manor to aid in her recovery. Meanwhile, at school, Ron gets pranked and suffers a mental breakdown because of it. He has to get sent to a sanitarium, and Dumbledore offers to pay for it, but in a short internal dialogue, we find out he plans to use gold from the Potter vault._

**Chapter 15: December 16**

Harry opened his eyes slowly, after a few seconds, he yawned, and stretched. He looked around, and smacked his lips before yawning again and turning on his side before closing his eyes again. _So good…_ he thought to himself, burrowing under the covers. Even after a month of sleeping in this bed, he still couldn't get used to how comfortable it was. It was a really big bed, much bigger than the one the Dursley's had, and much more comfortable, as well. Harry wanted nothing more than to keep sleeping in this amazing bed for a while more.

A soft pop interrupted his sleep, though, as a house elf arrived. "Master Harry, sir, Lord Master Malfoy bid me tell you, sir, that breakfast be served in 15 minutes, sir."

Harry groaned, _now I -have- to get up…. But I -am- hungry, though…_ he thought to himself. "Thanks, Dobby." Answered Harry, before sighing and sitting up in bed. Dobby popped away, and Harry yawned again, before getting up from the bed slowly, and shuffling over to the bathroom. He washed his face, brushed his teeth, and relieved himself, before washing his hands and getting rid of his very expensive pajamas. He put on deodorant and perfume, before shuffling out of the bathroom, clad in his underwear. He walked over to the walk-in closet and pulled on some light morning robes.

Narcissa had been teaching him etiquette, and part of that was imparting the proper morning rituals of the typical high class families. As a child, he wasn't expected to take a shower in the morning, or even wake up more than 15 minutes in advance of breakfast. Children in high class pureblood families like the Malfoy's and his own, did not have morning duties, and had a lot of liberties but with those liberties, also came the proper way to do things. Adults, however, usually had certain things to do in the mornings, even before having breakfast. Narcissa, for example, told him that on certain days, she always writes a quick letter for Draco, so that he receives it while he's at breakfast; other times, she gives the daily orders to the house elves, for example, if her husband won't be in for lunch or dinner, due to his own obligations, that's when she lets them known. If _she_ doesn't expect to be in for lunch, she also lets them know.

Any invitations from close friends, are expected to be received before breakfast, and any invitations she wants to send that day, if she woke up feeling like taking a stroll through the shopping district with someone, are also sent before breakfast. Lucius, on the other hand, has other types of obligations, as the Lord of the House, and current Lord of the Malfoy family. Anything house-related he lets Narcissa know, and she takes care of it, but any other things, like reading important letters, or receiving last minute notices from the Wizengamot and the House of Lords, are done by him before breakfast. Certain things are done on certain days of the month, such as bills for any Manor related upgrades and repairs, documents he might receive from Gringotts, and letters he has to write and send to certain family members, like a letter to the Head of branch family of the Malfoy's.

Thus, adults in typical pureblood families always get up about an hour or two before breakfast. However, she also explained that not all pureblood families are that way. She explained that certain lower class families don't have house elves, or even many, if any at all, important obligations. Harry had remarked that he remembered Ron telling him, on the first train ride in to Hogwarts, that his mother had given him some leftovers to eat on the way. Narcissa had nodded, and carefully explained to him that families like the Weasley's are the perfect example to her lecture on lower class pureblood families.

"_The don't have house elves,"_ she had explained, _"thus, the Weasley Matron is expected to take her of all household duties herself. And the Weasley family has long since lost any important positions they might had once held within the ministry, so the Head of the family doesn't even need to wake up all that early."_

"_As far the meals-to-go for the children…. Well, it all depends on the Family in question. The Weasley's are very poor, for certain things, like meals, they don't have many choices. Our family, on the other hand, could choose to have the house elves prepare something for Draco to take… but we choose not to. Draco was given a pouch for his use, which is connected to a small vault in his name. Whenever he needs money, he puts his hand inside the pouch and the magicks of the pouch allow him to be recognized, and he is able to take money directly from his vault." _

Harry was interrupted, once again, as he was putting on his robes by yet another house elf, "Forgive Tippy for the intrusion, Master Harry, but Lady Mistress Malfoy bid me remind you that today is December 16, and you are _expected_ to wear the new robes she set out for you."

"Thanks, Tippy." Answered Harry, before throwing the robes he had been about to wear aside, in favor of a slightly thicker Yule robe. Today was the day they were going to go to the train station to pick up Draco, and Harry was really excited about it. He had been exchanging letters with Draco practically every day since he had been away from Hogwarts, and he couldn't believe time had gone by so fast.

The custom for high class purebloods was to wear certain things for certain holidays. And starting on December 16, which coincided with the day Hogwarts students went back home for the Holidays, they would wear robes with the traditional colors of Yule. And Narcissa had gone all out for him, since it was his first time experiencing the traditions he should have grown up with all along.

Narcissa had brought in a professional to the manor, who measured him, and made annotations for over an hour as he consulted with Narcissa. In the end, she had decided on getting him a replica of a Qing Dynasty dragon robe. According to her, and the suddenly excited, professional robe maker, the Dragon Robe, or Longpao in Mandarin, is the robe worn only by the emperors of China. The colors tended to vary according with the emperor, with black being the more tradition color used, but Narcissa had remembered seeing one on an ambassadorial trip to China, that had consisted of very traditional Yule colors, and had immediately ordered the robe maker to make one for Harry.

Once Harry had seen it, he had been speechless. It was so majestic looking, done completely in dark green, with two strips of red going down on the sides, and embroidered in gold with decorative images of chinese dragons on the front and on the sleeves. According to Narcissa, it was expected of him to wear this amazing robe today, all day, and then wear it once again all day on Christmas day. It had been done with a very expensive type of cloth, and embroidered with the same expensive cloth, which had been previously dunked in a bath of real liquid gold. It had also been spelled for protection against minor charms and curses, and, finally, considering how expensive it is, it had been spelled for protection against spills. The last of which, Harry was extremely thankful for.

So Harry went down to breakfast on his new robes, and slippers, since Narcissa had told him it was alright. However, he would be expected to change into his new, and shiny, black shoes before they left.

"Good Morning, Narcissa, Lucius." He greeted with a smile. They returned the greeting, and Narcissa giggled, getting up from the table and walking closer to him, "you look amazing, Harry! I knew they would look good on you." She commented, hugging him close and giggling once again. Harry blushed, and sat down, "she's correct," commented Lucius in agreement, "those robes look really good on you, Harry."

"Thank you, and thank you for the robes, I've never had anything so amazing in my life!" he exclaimed lightly as he sat down. His usual breakfast already on his plate, and a glass of fruit juice appearing as he sat.

"Well," said Lucius, "get used to it, _this one_ has some expensive tastes." He commented lightly, pointing with his head at Narcissa, with a smirk on his face, "really…" he continued, "I'm surprised we're still rich at this point…"

Harry laughed, and Narcissa scoffed, "you have more than enough money to support my tastes," she said in answered, looking pointedly away, before looking back and smirking in amusement, "really," she continued, "why do you think I agreed to marry you in the first place? It certainly wasn't for you looks."

Lucius smiled lovingly at her and grabbed her hand, he kissed it gently and Narcissa blushed. Lucius smirked, "no, it was for my looks, _and_ my charms. You know you find me _irresistible_." Narcissa continued to blush, but she scoffed and pulled her away away. Harry blushed at the banter, but he also laughed slightly, and noted they _both_ looked beautiful. They were both wearing festive, yet classy robes, that didn't exactly match Harry's at all, but they still looked quite expensive.

Lucius was wearing black robes with silver and green embroidery, he had the Malfoy family crest done on the collar, to denote the fact that he's the Head of the Malfoy family, and Narcissa was wearing robes of a very dark blood red, lightly embroidered in gold, similar to the way Harry's robes had been done, but they were decorated with tiny jewels in green, which Harry guessed were probably emeralds, and it was sleeveless and slightly tighter around the waist.

They were expected to wear the same robes, much like Harry himself, all day, and once again on Christmas day. They held a light conversation during breakfast, mostly speaking of unimportant things, like their plans for the day, and at what time they would leave to pick up Draco.

Lucius commented in passing that the Granger girl was still on bed rest, but she had been doing much better and it was expected she would be joining them for lunch at the restaurant where they had reservations for the day. December 16, as Narcissa had explained, was traditionally the beginning of the celebrations for Yule. And since they would be wearing such amazing robes all day, they would be having lunch at a very elite and upscale German restaurant called Exklusiv. Which was on the same shopping district as Diagon Alley, but on a much more high-end section, that mostly catered to the aristocracy.

According to Lucius, there were several families that should be familiar to him that were part of the aristocracy. The Potters were one of them, along with the Malfoys, the Blacks, and the Parkinsons, due to their marriage to the Vandervilts. But the Parkinsons are mostly considered new blood, according to Narcissa, they wouldn't hold any important place on the Aristocratic hierarchy until one of them had enough Vandervilt blood and magic to inherit some of the more exclusive positions. Pansy Parkinson, according to Narcissa, would be taking part in the necessary blood rituals when she reaches the age of 14, and if she's accepted, she would have the choice of changing her last name and becoming Pansy Vandervilt.

For dinner, they would be going to yet another upscale restaurant in the same district, but this time they had rented a salon and were having more of a dinner party that would consist of most of Harry's pureblood friends, and their parents. Granger, thankfully, wasn't allowed to attend since the first dinner party of the Yule celebrations are even more traditional than the other parties.

Narcissa, furthermore, had explained that she had explained all this to Hermione already, and had even given her several books for her to study. The girl was expected to follow all the necessary traditions that she could partake in, even if everyone would know she wasn't pureblood, she was still expected to fit in.

Before they left the house, Narcissa fixed his hair, and Lucius cast a spell on his glasses that made them invisible. Harry put on his new shoes, and looked in the mirror; what he saw shocked him. He looked very classy, and proper. Everything was in its place, his hair, as fixed by Narcissa, looked very good. It wasn't messy at all, and he could swear it looked longer than usual. And his eyes were bright, the green of his eyes looking particularly bright and greener than usual. Harry touched his face, and he could feel his glasses, but he couldn't see them, which was odd, but Lucius mentioned it was a temporary measure until they could take him in to St. Mungos to get the proper tests done.

He looked so much different than when he first started school. He was dressed properly, and with well fitting clothes. The robes looked so expensive, but they looked perfect on him. He had gained weight, and it looked good on him. For the last month, Narcissa had been making him eat until he felt stuffed, because she said he needed it. He certainly wasn't complaining, now that he was away from the Dursley's he found he enjoyed eating, and the feeling of being full to bursting was a very nice change from the usual.

Of course, he had gotten more used to eating while at school, and he still remembered that first feast. It had been shocking to see so much food all at once, and to know he could eat any of it that he pleased. At the time, though, he had still been worried, especially when Dumbledore started reading his mind… that had been unpleasant. But other than that, the food had been great, and it just continued to shock him every day. He had tried to follow Draco's example on how to eat, what to eat, and whatnot, since he didn't have much experience in it, yet. But he had never eaten too much, and Harry now guessed it probably had to be some kind of unconscious fear of being scolded for eating.

However, now that he had been learning more about magic, he understood that eating every meal was important because his magic ate up a lot of calories. And the more magic one had, and used, the more calories one needed to eat. _"You can guess how much magic someone has, or at least, how much magic they use, simply by looking at them."_ Narcissa had told him. So Harry had guessed that two of his dorm mates, Vince and Greg, must not have much magic, because at school they used about as much magic as the rest of the students, and yet they are both fat. Ronald, though, either uses a lot of magic, or he has a slightly higher than average amount of magic, since he eats a lot, but he's not fat. _Though he -is- kinda chubby…_ thought Harry idly.

People who knew more about this aspect of magic, would see Harry and assume the boy must be quite powerful, since he's very thin. Lucius had told him that since Dumbledore put him with the Dursley's, it must have been his goal to keep Harry weak, while making people think that he must be quite powerful if he's so thin. Another thing that Narcissa had explained was that if one doesn't eat enough, their magic atrophies and eventually stops working properly. Once magic reaches that point, it can't be fixed, and ones magic is permanently atrophied. Dumbledore must have been hoping this would be the outcome, and according to Lucius, the old man must be afraid of someone rising to replace him as _the most powerful and adored wizard in Britain._

An hour later Harry was standing on the platform for the second time in his life. It was certainly an odd feeling to be standing there with Lucius and Narcissa on each side of him, waiting for the train to get there. There were other adults waiting, and a few children that looked younger than him. Now that he had been learning more about his culture, and about the traditions of pureblood families, he could tell there were several families that were following the December 16 tradition. It was an interesting feeling for Harry to be standing with adults who actually cared about him… he just couldn't get over it.

"Five minutes…" murmured Narcissa, as she grabbed Harry's hand, and walked them closer to the front. Harry could feel Narcissa's soft skin against his, and it warmed him, a smile broke out in his face and he looked up at her. She was staring ahead, looking around almost nervously, as she waited to hear the train getting closer. Her blond hair in a loose bun with ringlets framing her young face, and soft makeup marking her features. She looked classy, and sophisticated, but Harry could also see love in her, and he could practically feel it running through her arm and going into him. He had never felt such a thing before, and it was staggering.

Harry felt a hand on his head and he turned his head toward Lucius, who was looking at him with a serious, yet warm look in his eyes. They were interrupted when the train approached and entered the station, and Narcissa practically jumped in excitement. "Narcissa, please compose yourself…" murmured Lucius, with amused exasperation, "you're not alone, remember?" he finished, his eyes turning slightly to where he could see Molly Weasley, who he had noticed had been eyeing them and frowning ever since they arrived. Harry obviously hadn't noticed her, which was good, he didn't want Harry exposed to the likes of that woman.

"I know…" she murmured in answer, her tone slightly petulant. She stared at Molly Weasley out of the corner of her eyes, huffed, and pulled Harry closer, hugging him about the shoulders. Molly pursed her lips in anger at the display, and made to walk over, but Lucius glared at her openly, and she cowered.

Their encounter was interrupted when the train doors opened and the students poured out. Draco was one of the firsts out, already wearing his robe, an opposite of his father's in very light silver, with a black embroidery going around the bottom, and spreading upwards on the sides and to his sleeves, like branches of a tree, with gold around the front and mixing with the black as it went to his sleeves. He had the Malfoy crest on one sleeve, right at the top, and surrounded by the black and gold embroidery.

He was followed out by Blaise, who walked out at a leisurely pace wearing slacks and a half-open button up, hands on his pockets, and his hair as messy as he could manage to make it. It was mostly a way to let everyone know, in the most obnoxious way possible, that the Zabini's held to the traditions of his Italian ancestors and didn't celebrate December 16, even if they _are_ invited to the dinner party.

Pansy and Daphne walked out together giggling and speaking with each other in fast tones. Pansy was wearing a robe that reached her knees, it was loose and colored in dark blue, sleeveless, with a big white collar, and decorated with a big red rose right in the middle of her chest. It was a very childish look for Pansy, but it matched her personality, and short black hair. She was also wearing black mary-jane's and a big, bright bracelet that probably cost a good thousand galleons.

Daphne, on the other hand, looked at least two years older with her silky blond hair brushed back in a loose bun, light makeup that made her light green eyes stand out, and wearing a fashionable wizard dress and cloak combo made with a light green material, embroidered in dark green, and gold. There was a short cloak around her shoulders made of the same material, and it was decorated all over with very thin chains that glistened eerily in the light of the station.

Several of the classy adults that Harry had noticed before, now gathered around closer to him and the Malfoy's as their respective children approached and greeted them. Lady Zabini was a tall black woman, and Harry noticed Blaise looked very much like her. She had on a simple bright red cocktail dress, with a string of pearls and loose wavy hair. She greeted Blaise with a kiss on each cheek and a tight hug.

Pansy was met by a tall, stringy looking woman who had very short black hair, and dark eyes, and was wearing a simple light red and green robe that reached her feet and was decorated with an embroidery of barely visible dark red flowers. She hugged Pansy lightly, and greeted everyone else with a small smile and a nod, before she excused herself and pulled Pansy away. Pansy whined loudly and told her mother to wait for her by the floos while she said goodbye to her friends. The woman smiled tightly and left without a backwards glance.

Daphne was greeted first by a small, black haired girl, wearing a simple white robe with small colorful oriental decorations, and long sleeves covered with black, see-through, stripes. Harry thought the small robe looked to be a similar style to his. The girl pounced and hugged her tightly with an elated cry of "Daphie!" Daphne laughed and hugged her back. Following behind the little girl was a tall and imposing, black haired man that was wearing an amused smirk along with bright black robes that didn't have any embroidery, but they _were_ decorated with a bright white cloth that made it look like the wizarding version of a tuxedo. He approached Daphne and picked her up and hugged her, despite her embarrassing protests of not being a little girl anymore.

Draco, meanwhile, approached Harry first, and smiled brightly at him, before giving him a big hug and a pat on the back. "Good to see you! You look good! Mother chose those robes, didn't she?" he said in greeting, before Narcissa pulled him away and hugged him tight, "so good to see you, baby." She greeted him in a murmur, and Draco blushed slightly and hugged her back. Lucius, though, greeted Draco with a warm handshake, and a hand on his shoulder.

"Draco, keeping out of trouble, I hope?" he greeted, with a smirk.

"Of course, father, always." Answered Draco with a matching smirk. Harry thought it was amazing and creepy how similar they were. But then he remembered that Dudley is pretty much the same as Vernon, and even himself, is supposed to be a carbon copy of his father at that age. At that point, Harry was almost grateful that at least one of his male friends looked more like their mother than their father.

"Lucius! My man, nice to see you again." Greeted Daphne's father with a bright smile, after Harry and the others pulled slightly away from the adults to greet each other… or at least, to greet Harry, since it had been about a month since he'd seen them in person.

"Peneus, it's been a while, but we'll be able to catch up tonight, won't we?" asked Lucius in return, as Peneus shook his hand with enthusiasm. The man was a loud, happy, and imposing hulk of muscle, and no one would ever believe he had graduated a Hufflepuff thirteen years before.

"That we will, my friend, that we will." He answered with a bright smile, then he turned to Narcissa, and bowed his head slightly, before grabbing her hand gently, "Narcissa, your beauty is still only barely comparable to that of my lovely wife." He said to her before kissing her hand.

Narcissa laughed gently, a pinkish hue decorating her cheeks, "You always say that, and yet I'm still not sure whether you're actually complimenting me, you tease."

Peneus laughed, and threw his head back slightly, "I only mean to compliment you on your beauty, despite the fact that I find my wife to be quite a bit more luscious."

"I'll tell her you said that, then." She said with a giggle, as she covered one pink cheek delicately with her left hand.

While the adults kept talking, Harry was catching up with Draco and the others. "I returned the book, by the way," commented Harry lightly, "sent it back with one of the anonymous owls… told it to just drop it off at the library and leave." He finished, and gave Draco a very direct look. "Oh, o.k…. Did you… find anything?"

Harry smirked, "yep, even made notes and everything…. I'll tell you about it later."

Draco smirked back, and Daphne and Pansy just stared at them, not knowing what they were talking about. Daphne scoffed and walked closer to Harry, shrugging off her little sister who was standing there looking at all the older kids with an awed look on her face. Daphne grabbed Harry's arm and pulled him close, "I missed you, Harry." She said with a smile, and boldly gave him a soft kiss on the cheek.

Harry blushed, "I missed you guys, too."

Daphne smiled, "You look really good, Harry, especially without your glasses…" she trailed off and grabbed his face, pulling him close and staring right into his eyes, "never noticed just how green they are! They're such a dark green…. But they look so bright, too."

Harry blushed bright, and stared back at her, "your eyes are green, too." He murmured, trying to quench the weird feeling settling in his stomach.

"Yeah," she answered, "but mine are more of a lighter green mixed with yellow…. Depends on the light really…"

Pansy coughed and pulled him away, "rude!" exclaimed Daphne at the other girl, while Pansy ignored her and pulled Harry close, "you look really handsome in those robes, Harry."

Harry now just felt awkward, and he hesitated, "thanks…"

Pansy giggled, then released him and twirled, "how about me, Harry? You like how I look?"

Harry looked around hesitantly, "yeah, you look great, Pansy. Uhm….isn't your mom still waiting for you?"

Pansy smiled, then huffed, "she can wait…"

Daphne smiled, "I do think it's rather _rude_ to leave you dear mother waiting, Pansy." She commented sweetly, "don't you think so, Harry?" she added walking over to Harry and pulling him away again.

"Uhm…have I told you, Daphne, how beautiful you look?" asked Harry, avoiding to look at Pansy, while he looked at Daphne out of the corner of his eyes.

"No," she answered with a giggle, "but I'd love to hear you say it again?" she answered, almost questioningly.

Pansy, though, huffed loudly, interrupting them, "I'll see all of you tonight, then." Then she smirked, and walked up to Harry, "see you tonight, Harry." Then she hesitated, before kissing his lips quickly, and running away.

Daphne's eyes widened, while Draco and Blaise hesitated before they started chuckling together. Harry was still frozen in shock, _my first kiss…that was weird…_"uhm…" he hesitated, and touched his lips.

Daphne made an angry noise, like a growl growing right from the throat, "that _bint_!"

Draco chuckled and patted Harry on the back, "was that your first kiss, Harry?" he asked lightly, smirking when Harry chocked and Daphne looked back to Harry, with a shocked look on her face.

"That _bint_ stole your first kiss?" she exclaimed loudly, pointing back towards the general direction where Pansy had disappeared to.

"Uhm…yeah… I guess…." Harry answered hesitantly, embarrassed at Daphne's loud exclamation.

Daphne growled again, "that's it!" she exclaimed, before stomping her stiletto clad feet. She grabbed Harry roughly by the front of his robe, and pulled him towards her, claiming his lips in a passionate, but quick kiss. Harry made a noise of shock, and then surprise at the feel of her soft lips against his, and his eyes closed for a second. Daphne made a noise out of the back of her throat, as she kissed him and then she pulled back after a few seconds.

Draco knew he should have been even slightly jealous, but really, he thought it was hilarious. So he laughed, and laughed, and then when Daphne pulled back, and Harry was just standing there with a dazed look, he laughed some more. Then he noticed Daphne's little sister staring at him, a pink hue on her cheeks, so he smirked and walked over to her.

"Hi, Astoria, having fun?"

Little Astoria bit her lips, and looked at her sister, who was staring at a dazed Harry Potter with a satisfied look on her face, and then at Draco, who still looked amuzed, "not as much as you guys…." She murmured shyly. She still had about three years before she could go to Hogwarts, and she was jealous of them.

"Well, if it'll make you feel better I could kiss you." Commented Draco, with a friendly smile, before he felt someone hit his head, and he turned frowning, and then he gulped and laughed nervously at Lord Greengrass. "Hi…" said Draco, and Peneus smirked, "no hitting on my 8-year-old daughter, you hear me, little lord?"

"Hah, right…. Not hitting on anyone here, sir, just being friendly…" he defended himself weakly.

"Well, any more _friendliness_ from you and _we'll_ be drawing up marriage contracts, ya hear?" commented Peneus lightly as he pointed between himself and Lucius, who was smirking right behind Peneus.

Draco was saved by Narcissa, who interrupted them, "enough silliness, boys. We need to go, or we'll be late for our reservations." Then she greeted Lady Zabini, with whom she had been exchanging a few friendly words, as usual.

"We'll see you later, then." Said Peneus, pulling his daughters away, shaking his head at Daphne, who gave Harry another kiss before leaving, and chuckling at the boy's still dazed look. _If only she wasn't so much like her mother…_

Soon, Harry and Draco, along with Lucius and Narcissa, were the only ones of their group left. "What just happened…?" asked Harry, as if confused, and still trying to figure it out. Draco and Lucius chuckled, and Narcissa smiled gently, walking closer to Harry and putting a hand gently on his cheek she said, "I guess they missed you, dear."

Draco and Lucius chuckled even louder at Narcissa's comment, and Lucius commented on the matter, as well. "That Greengrass girl is… passionate, isn't she?"

Narcissa scoffed, almost as if outraged, and she lightly hit Lucius on the arm, "I would say," she answered, "that whole family is made up of… rather emotional people…" she trailed off, before looking at Draco, who was still laughing at Harry's predicament, and she added, "I did see how little Astoria kept staring at Draco, maybe a marriage contract _wouldn't_ be so bad, after all?" she finished in a teasing and suggestive tone.

Draco stopped laughing abruptly, and choked, before he looked at his parents with wide eyes full of horror. Harry laughed and patted Draco on the back, "that's what you get." He said lightly.

Then they all made their way over to the floos and left. They had a mudblood to pick up, after all.

Harry sighed as they got back to Malfoy Manor, and then smiled when Draco bumped into his side and gave him a half hug by placing his hand around Harry's waist and pulling him close.

Draco smiled, and sighed happily, "so happy to be back for Yule, finally!" he exclaimed.

Harry gave a short laugh, and answered, "I'm happy you're here, too. I think I might even get a break from studying, considering it's officially the holidays starting today."

Narcissa smiled and lovingly caressed Harry's head, "of course, Harry, you're ahead anyways."

"Hahah," Draco laughed, "bookworm." He added in amusement. Harry rubbed his head and blushed slightly, "ah, shucks…" he murmured in embarrassment, "I just had nothing else to do…"

Draco chuckled, "well, I'm here now. I'll help you forget everything you learned…" he trailed off when Narcissa gave him a look. "I mean…" he continued, "I'll help you practice your spellwork…. By doing pranks." He finished, first nervous, then smirking.

Narcissa had been smiling until Draco finished his sentence. Then she frowned, and huffed, "just don't let me catch you, dear."

"I do hope that Granger is ready, I don't want us to be late for our reservation." Commented Lucius, looking around the expansive entrance hall as if waiting for Hermione to appear.

"Dobby!" called out Narcissa, and the house elf popped into the room, "is the girl ready?" she asked, Dobby nodded several times, "oh, yes, Mistress, she be ready long time now, I tell her be ready fast, and she obey, Mistress."

"Good, bring her, then, we must be leaving now." Ordered Narcissa, and Dobby nodded once, bowed, and popped away.

He popped back in a minute later with Hermione in tow, the girl stumbled, but caught herself fast. She stared at everyone and blushed nervously, picking at the hem of her muggle dress.

It was a very expensive looking dress, made of satin and chiffon. It was navy blue with a one-shoulder strap, and a triangle beading decoration on the waist.

Hermione's hair had been tamed magically, and it was loose and brushed back slightly. She would have looked good had she been going to a party in the muggle world, but here, together with this party of classy looking wizards and a witch, all dressed in super expensive, high wizard fashion, Hermione knew she would stick out.

Harry felt Hermione's gaze on him, and it made him uncomfortable. He hadn't been to see this girl even once, with the excuse that he was always too busy. Neither Lucius nor Narcissa had forced the issue, knowing that, much like them and Draco, Harry didn't really like the girl, and he didn't want to be in her company if it could be helped.

He felt heartened by the fact that he wasn't alone in his sentiment, though. He gave the girl a halfhearted, half-smile, and decided to break the ice with a compliment, "you look nice." He said to her, his quietness sounding like he was shy, and his voice sounding sincere.

"Thank you…. And thank you for the dress… Mrs. Malfoy, Mr. Malfoy…. Uhm, Dobby said I get to keep it?" she thanked shyly, and then asked hesitantly.

"Of course dear, it was no trouble," answered Narcissa in a kind voice that had Harry impressed, "and yes, it's yours to keep."

Draco smirked, and leaned in close to Harry, while looking pointedly away from Hermione. He whispered to Harry so low that Harry himself could barely hear, "why would my mother want to have it back after having it tainted by the mudblood's disgusting skin and odor, anyways?"

Harry smirked as well, and almost laughed out loud, but contained himself.

"Everyone looks quite nice," commented Lucius quite airily, "now, let us depart, we want to be on time for our reservation, don't we?"

"You're right, dear." Answered Narcissa with an adoring smile.

Draco gagged, Harry laughed, and then they both sobered when Narcissa grabbed them both by placing one hand on each of them on their shoulder; she smiled tightly, and said, "make sure to say _hi_ to Daphne and Pansy, Harry, if you see them at the restaurant; and you Draco, make sure to stay away from little Astoria, you don't want her father to think you're a pedophile, do you?"

Draco and Harry both chocked, but then they laughed at each other. Hermione, meanwhile, stared in confusion and jealousy at the familial interactions. She kept wondering why she had to be stuck being the only one in her family that had magic.

A little while later, the group drew looks as they walked into the restaurant. Most people had too much class to be caught staring, but they still stared a little, especially since it was _the_ boy-who-lived walking in with _the_ Malfoy family. The girl in their group, wearing a clearly muggle dress, was recognized only by few as probably being the muggleborn that had been taken in by the charitable Mafloy's.

As they were taken to their, slightly more isolated, table, Harry recognized a few children from Hogwarts. Mostly by looks only, since there were several older students there that did not belong to Slytherin house; and most of all, that surprised Harry.

However, he didn't encounter anyone he personally knew, like Pansy and Daphne; Harry was pretty grateful about that, actually, since he had no idea what to do about the fact that his two friends had kissed him. He had always found Daphne pretty, with her blond hair, green eyes, and lightly pointed features; the girl's personality is pretty as well, she has good manners, nice voice, intelligence that tends to shine through her voice and her eyes, and enough eccentric tastes to make her interesting yet bearable.

Pansy was also pretty, although in a simpler way and she tended to wear outfits under her school robes that were usually mismatched, yet expensive. She also got loud and annoying at times, when she thought she had to show off. But aside from that, she had good grades, which meant she was studious, and her manners were pretty impeccable, most of the time. She knew a lot about current events, even things surrounding the government, and she enjoyed sharing all that with Harry, usually saving him the trouble of trying to find an article in the Daily Prophet that's not biased.

Pansy, surprisingly enough, read a lot of current event newspapers and magazines, and she had even started teaching Harry how to discern fact from fiction in articles that related things regarding to the minister of magic, international events, and even articles about _him_.

On the other hand, Daphne with all her intelligence, usually liked to talk about the darker aspects of life, more than anything, and when touching on the subject of government, she would usually talk to Harry mostly about things in the Ministry relating to Dark Magic, and loopholes in various laws that benefit the purebloods and are of a hindrance to muggleborns, and blood traitors.

In the end, Harry, as he ate the third course in the six course meal, decided that both Pansy and Daphne had their good points and their bad points, and for now he would simply pretend the whole _kissing him unexpectedly_ thing had never happened. He wouldn't have to see them very often anyways, especially since they would be going back to Hogwarts on the 3 of January, and Harry would still be at Malfoy Manor.

He would have to deal with them tonight, though, since they would be at the party in the restaurant as well. _Do I ignore them by pretending to be busy with someone else?_ He thought to himself, _or do I just pretend nothing happened? Do they even expect a response from me? Would it be alright if I simply acted offended? Or would they assume I was angry at them if I ignore them?_

Harry sighed and just kept eating, nodding in all the right places at Draco who was telling him about things that had happened at Hogwarts while he was gone. He didn't even notice Hermione, who was sitting on his other side and was looking decidedly uncomfortable while she ate, because no one was talking to her or even looking at her.

Hermione couldn't decide if it was her own fault that no one was talking to her or not. It was certainly possible that, since she was looking at her plate the whole time, everyone just forgot her or maybe thought of her as shy. _Well,_ she thought to herself, _ I'm not shy_.

Hermione cleared her throat a little bit, calling attention to herself, and said, "I wanted to thank you for inviting me today, the food here is just delicious."

Narcissa smiled, although the smile didn't quite reach her eyes, and the typical sparkle of actual happiness was missing, "of course, dear, you're welcome."

Lucius nodded as well, "the food here _is_ quite exquisite. I've always had quite a… liking… for German cuisine."

"I also wanted to thank you," continued Hermione, "for taking me in…. To help me get better…"

Lucius gave her a thin smile, "it's… no trouble at all, I'm… glad to help… although, nothing like what happened to you and Harry should have been allowed to take place at all."

"You should know, though," interrupted Draco, "that some justice _has_ taken place."

Hermione looked interested, "did the Headmaster do something?" she asked/

Draco scoffed, "no." Then he continued, "but _someone_ played a… prank… on Ron Weasley. And apparently, he was left so traumatized that he had to be taken from school."

Lucius nodded slowly, "yes, I did hear about that. He was sent to a sanitarium… word from the doctors is that he might be there a while, still."

Narcissa frowned, "how are the Weasley's paying for it? Even the lower than one star sanitariums ask you for _some_ money and it's usually more than someone like _them_ can afford."

Lucius narrowed his eyes, "I heard rumors that Dumbledore is lending a helping hand. But let's not talk about that _here_." He finished, giving Narcissa a significant look, to which she responded by frowning in confusion, before Lucius cleared it up by looking at Harry for a second out of the corner of his eyes.

Narcissa's eyes widened a fraction as she understood her husband's silent message. _Dumbledore is stealing from Harry?_ She thought to herself in outrage as she turned back to her food and changed the subject by asking the children how they were doing in their studies. _Why doesn't it surprise me…_ she added in her mind as she drank from her glass of rose wine.

She looked at Harry, who was listening avidly at Draco, who was describing for Harry and Hermione some of the things they had missed at school, and she felt both angry, and happy.

Narcissa felt angry, because of everything that was slowly coming to light about Dumbledore, and she felt happy, because her dear, handsome, husband had managed to get the upper hand by starting a secret investigation on Dumbledore. And they had Harry, which was a definite plus, although, Narcissa knew they had to teach Harry as much as possible, as fast as possible, just in case whoever he ended up going to after the investigation ended, and his parents' will is read and executed, ended up trying to teach him that Dark magic is inherently evil.

They would make the best of whatever time they had with Harry, although Narcissa also knew that her husband would try to drag the investigation on and on with the excuse of gathering more proof against Dumbledore, which should definitely help. Once the investigation comes to light, it would still be a while before anything is decided, since Dumbledore would have to be brought to trial, and would be given the chance to defend against the numerous counts that would be brought up against him.

Narcissa felt confident enough that they would make Harry into a proper wizard before any light sided fool could try to sink their prejudiced claws on him.

By the time dessert arrived, Narcissa was calm once more. She had realized something, and that was, if her husband knew that Dumbledore was taking money from Harry's vaults, then he must have been doing something to use this to his advantage against Dumbledore. And she realized that it's being kept secret so that when it comes to light, it can be used as a weapon against Dumbledore.

"Well, this was a _lovely_ lunch." Commented Narcissa as they walked out of the restaurant walked slowly down the high class shopping district.

Hermione stared at everything with wide eyes. She hadn't had much of a chance to look at everything when they first got to the restaurant, mostly because they were almost running late, but also because she had been quite hungry, and nervous, and it had made her distracted. Now, though, she was more relaxed; she was full, and she had had a lovely, although somewhat awkward, time at the super high class and expensive restaurant.

This area of town really shocked Hermione, since it looked more like what she had always imagined a magical place would be like. Normal muggle buildings, with a magical sparkle, like The White Swan with floating sparks of light instead of light-bulbs, and mounted heads of magical animals instead of a bull and a wolf. Looking at this place now, Hermione knew that any mounted heads of magical animals would probably move a bit, like the paintings at Hogwarts.

She never would have imagined that a magical world would be so primitive, and backwards. Now she knew it wasn't _all_ like that. Case in point, the place where she is now isn't at all like what little she had seen of the wizarding world so far. And the Malfoy's mansion was more like the mansions of celebrities that she always sees on t.v. But more of a mix of old and new… or old made new, either way it wasn't like Hogwarts at all.

It was certainly a pleasant surprise for Hermione to see that the magical world was more modern than it had first appeared like. Aside from that pleasant surprise, Narcissa Malfoy had showered her with all kinds of interesting books. She had barely gotten halfway through the first one, since she had been asleep more than she had been awake. But she was grateful nonetheless, and she had skimmed through most of them just to see what they were about, even if she hasn't been able to read them yet.

She _had_ been… urged… to read the etiquette book, or at least go through it as much as possible. Since she would be taking part in most of the pureblood holiday traditions, which Hermione had found terribly fascinating, Narcissa had told her there were certain things she needed to know. So she had been given the book, and told to assume the role of a young pureblood girl, non-heir and/or guest, of a pureblood family. That would help her in knowing exactly what she was supposed to memorize, and read in detail; when the time came, Narcissa had said she would tell Hermione if there was anything she _wouldn't_ need, which pretty much meant that she had to memorize _everything_ simply because she didn't know _what_ it was she would need to know.

That had certainly been effective in making her read and learn. On the other hand, reading everything had made her read about the dinner/society party that the others would be going to tonight, and she knows she is excluded from that one. She's a muggleborn, and this is strictly a party for purebloods, thus she's not invited, which Hermione thought was a terrible shame since what she had read about the party seemed like it would be very interesting.

The book had been almost terribly vague about some things, it seemed like whatever the party was about, it wasn't just about getting together with other purebloods, and eating and partying until late. The book had hinted that there was something more to the party, but _what…_ that was the question. What was so special about the December 16 dinner?

**End Of Chapter~**

**Chiyoku says: **thanks for reading, guys! I hope you enjoyed it!

Ps: by the way, I posted two short one-shots for NCIS, I hope you checked them out, too.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chiyoku says: **Hi everyone! Sorry it took so long to update…. I've been so busy… holidays kept me super busy, and super stressed. I officially broke up with my Canadian girlfriend, Olivia…. She missed her family, and wanted me to go live with her and her family in Canada… she even assured me that her father would be able to give me a job at the hospital and everything… but I just couldn't accept. So I ended up breaking it off…. All very friendly, of course, but still… we'd been going out for almost two years. It was going to be our 2 year anniversary on December 27…. I know the exact date cuz I had a note in my profile for the day I met her…

As you might imagine, I didn't feel quite like doing anything afterwards…

Anyways, I loved reading all your reviews. Everyone seems quite happy, which makes _me _really happy. I'm officially making this a dark!Harry story. But you should have guessed that by now, if you've been reading this far. I've finally decided what to do in regards to Hermione and Ginny, and I rather think it's a good idea. It should make everyone happy, and I can barely wait until I get to reach that part.

I just realized this story has so much detail, and so many things going on, that I can't realistically make it go any faster. I don't have the talent that Rowling has for skipping over most of the year with ease… but I guess thats just because the details are important, and they are happening every day, really.

Anyways, this chapter gets progressively darker, and I rather think you'll find the ending exciting.

_**Warning: **__this chapter contains boy-on-boy kissing. (It's only one paragraph, and it rather came out of nowhere. The characters are really taking on a life of their own, and doing whatever they feel like.)_

**Enjoy!**

**Alternation Nation**

**A fanfiction by Chiyoku Shibata**

_**Recap: **__December 16 is a special date for a lot of families. They spend the day dresses in a specific ceremonial outfit, and they go out for lunch together. Harry goes with the Malfoy's to get Draco, and he greets his friends, who are all coming back home for the Holidays. Pansy and Daphne both kiss Harry on the lips, stealing his first and second kiss. And then they all go back to Malfoy Manor because they have to pick up Hermione Granger, who's been staying with them. They all go to lunch at a high class restaurant, where Harry recognizes several people from Hogwarts. Harry then wonders what to do about Pansy and Daphne, and before the chapter ends, Hermione wonders what the special December 16 dinner will entail, since she's not allowed to go. _

**Chapter 15: December 16 (Part 2)**

As soon as they got back to the Manor, Narcissa gently guided Hermione back to her room. The potions that had given her the energy to last through lunch were already leaving her system, thus, she was starting to yawn and almost sway in place. They weren't strong potions, by any means, since Hermione is only 11 years old, and it wouldn't be good for her to get anything very strong, especially because her magic is supposed to be allowed to grow back as naturally as possible.

Meanwhile, Draco grabbed Harry's hand and pulled him away from the small group as soon as they got into the Manor. The boys went to Draco's room, where Draco proceeded to finally relax and look around. Since hey had gone to the restaurant pretty much as soon as he had gotten out of the train, Draco hadn't had a chance to go back to his room.

After getting reacquainted with all his stuff, and sighing in relief at finally being back in his own room, at least for a while, he sat down on the bed and pulled Harry next to him. "Let's catch up!" exclaimed Draco, "we can only talk about so many things on parchment, you know?" he added, shaking his head slowly.

"Yeah, I know… you hinted at something with regards to Ron, but I couldn't guess what…" commented Harry.

"Oh, yeah, we pulled such a prank on him! I think he's mentally scarred now… he hasn't been back to classes, either way, and no one's seen him since!" exclaimed Draco. He knew the rumors, but who knew _what_ was true and what was an exaggeration.

"Oh? What did you do?" asked Harry, curious and somewhat excited.

"Well… the Weasley twins helped us, if you can believe it!"

"Really?" asked Harry with a frown of disbelief.

"Yep, they gave us this potion that makes the drinker see something they're really afraid of." Explained Draco, "so we combined the potion with some of our own spell work… anyways, _Ronald_ started to see spiders everywhere, and he thought they were crawling all over him, so he started taking off his clothes and he was hitting himself… my guess is that he was trying to kill the spiders." Draco chuckled.

Harry laughed, and shuddered a little, "that's great, but awful, I wouldn't want someone doing that to _me_…" he commented, then added, "why would the Weasley twins invent something that makes you see something you really fear?"

"Well," answered Draco, "my guess is that they were trying to make some sort of potion that they can modify to give people specific hallucinations…" the he shrugged, "I could be completely wrong, of course, but it just seems like something they'd do…"

"Yeah… from what I've seen, it doesn't look like they're terribly fond of their brother. And they seemed alright when I met them. I think I could like them, actually, in spite of their unfortunate parentage." Harry finished with a smirk and chuckle.

Harry wasn't completely sold yet on the whole _pureblood superiority_ spiel that all his friends kept spewing left and right, but it was certainly fun to pretend to be the all high and mighty pureblood that his friends wanted him to be. And, of course, they had helped him so much, Harry felt it was the least he could do to at least pretend that the _brainwashing_ was working.

Harry was hardly stupid, no matter what it looked like, and he wasn't that easily swayed. When he was with the Dursley's he spent a lot of time at the local public library. And he had read a lot, mostly he read whatever he was forced to _not_ learn at school. Harry had long ago figured that, since the Dursley's didn't want Harry to get better grades than Dudley, then why bother trying, right?

Harry's family was going to believe whatever they wanted, and the neighbors could make their own guesses, so Harry figured he wouldn't even try. Whatever he did would always be ignored or twisted into something evil, or an attempt at mischief, so the only time Harry learned anything was when he went to the library. His aunt Petunia had long ago accepted for Harry to simply go straight to the public library as soon as he left school, it was better for the both of them, because that way it wouldn't be just him and her all day at home.

So, Harry would help with breakfast, and he'd get burnt toast and black coffee, which his aunt forced on him simply because it wasn't healthy, according to an article on a magazine, to drink coffee or to give coffee to children, so his aunt Petunia happily supplied him with some. What his aunt hadn't known was that after being forced to drink it every day, Harry had actually developed a taste for it… not that he would ever pretend to be anything but disgusted and sad about being forced to drink it.

He'd go to school, ignore all the teachers and students, even when the other children teased him, and the teachers gave him detention and bad grades for incomplete assignments, and his complete lack of knowledge on any of the subjects. Then at lunch time, he'd get a free lunch from the school, and he'd eat it quickly, barely tasting it, simply out of hunger, and fear that Dudley would steal it. His disgustingly fat cousin had stolen his lunches before, so Harry now simply ate it fast, and then he'd run from the lunch room and hide himself inside an old and forgotten supply closet until lunch ended. Because if his cousin caught him, he's simply grab him, and torture him until he'd throw up his lunch, simply out of spite that he hadn't been able to steal it from him.

After school, he'd go straight to the public library, it was the only place where he felt safe. Dudley didn't even know where the place was, and the librarian would always give him juice and a Nutella sandwich. The woman, Clarissa, liked him because he was quite and read a lot. Harry had also guesses the woman liked him because she felt sorry for him. Of course, it also helped that she worked full time in the library, saving up money to go to University, and didn't really care much for gossip, otherwise she'd know all the bad things he's supposedly done and probably wouldn't like him as much. Then again, maybe she knew what the gossip was and simply didn't believe it, for the simple reason that all she saw of him was a thin boy in huge, ugly, old outfits, reading for hours on end.

So Harry learned whatever he could by reading in the library, mostly children's books like fairytales, pop-up books, and some simple educational books from the children's section. He'd tried reading big boy books, but they bored him, so at the time, he had simply given up on that front and kept reading everything from the children's section.

Right before he'd gone to Hogwarts, the librarian had given him a book that was supposed to be for more grown up kids, but it was small, and Clarissa had said she'd read it in high school, and it was relatively easy for a kid his age. She also guessed that he'd like the subject matter. And she was right, the book was _A Catcher In The Rye_, and it was about a boy who went around on his own a lot, and while there were things in the book that he didn't quite understand, Harry had felt, at the time he'd finished reading it, that he could relate to the boy. Clarissa had said it was his to keep, and that was the last he'd seen of her right before he'd left for Hogwarts.

So really, thinking back on it all, Harry was far more clever than it seemed. He knew a lot of stuff about the people around him, and how to behave to be accepted by certain groups, than most would give him credit for. Harry knew that a man like Lucius Malfoy, for example, had an agenda with him, despite the fact that the man _was_ helping him and he _did_ seem to like him, whether it was a combination of his friendship with Draco, the fact he's _the_ Harry Potter—whatever that means, or whether it was because the man could gain more power simply for being the one to _help_ Potter, the man seemed to be on his side, but it wasn't a selfless act. Harry knew it, but accepted it for what it was, because, whatever the man's reasons are, it was still beneficial for Harry.

Meanwhile, Draco was still babbling to him about one thing or another related to Hogwarts and whatever he'd missed. It was pretty standard, just a few extra juicy details that he hadn't been able to receive via letters, like the gossip about what was up with Ron, and how Dumbledore was so angry but couldn't pin anything on the Slytherins.

"So _now_, without Granger to nag everyone about homework, and show off in every class, and without _Ronald_ to yell at anyone wearing green… the Gryffindors are actually… somewhat… bearable." Commented Draco, "in any case," he continued, "they haven't actually started any fights with us, surprisingly enough…. I think it has something to do with the fact that Ron Weasley was always an instigator, and the rest just took up cause, or whatever… the older students are usually too busy studying and talking to their own friends to bother fighting with other houses…"

"Mmhh… I guess the fact that Ron's finally gone, there's no one left to take up the cause of _Harry is evil because he's a Slytherin_, and so the rest just forgot about it" commented Harry lightly.

"Oh, yeah, that too. Also apparently what you said during Defense that one time, remember? You made the poor sod look like a fool, and after that, actually, a few of his dorm mates actually started to ignore him, really." Said Draco, in answer to Harry's comment.

"Wicked."

"Yeah."

* * *

Meanwhile, back at the Headmaster's office.

Phineas Nigellus Black was sitting in his throne-like chair in his portrait, as was usual. The rest of the portraits were snoring, asleep, and Phineas was decidedly bored. He was almost starting to regret making his portrait to be more powerful than usual. The other exHeadmaster were snoring to regain energy, because their portraits were basic, run of the mill, low energy portraits. They could only be awake for a few hours at a time, whereas he barely needed any recharge. Only about once a week, he slept for a full 24 hours, and then he was recharged for the whole week, only sleeping 1 hour a day every day.

Phineas sighed again, and looked around the office, he was usually kept pretty entertained, what with Dumbledore acting like a raving lunatic half the time, and half senile half demented evil bastard the other half of the time. But now the man was gone.

Holiday break had started that day, and Dumbledore hadn't wasted any time in running from the castle to take care of _business_, mostly stuff related to his plans with Harry Potter.

Speaking of the boy, when the kid had come into the office for the first time, and started speaking with Salazar, Phineas was definitely shocked. It had been a while since he had heard anyone speak in parseltongue. Not since the Riddle boy had been around, and that boy had been pretty evil from the start…. Well, not really evil, the boy just had a hard time feeling anything that normal humans felt. Phineas, of course, had known why that was, it was Tom's magic that had partially sealed away his emotions.

He remembers how often the boy had come into the Headmasters office to try to get a pass to stay at Hogwarts over the summer, but he had always been denied. Where-ever he had grown up must have been awful, and his magic reacted in kind and sealed away his emotions so the boy would suffer less.

What Phineas couldn't understand, though, was why the boy had bothered asking. It wasn't like anyone was forcing him to stay where-ever it was, and he could have simply left with his things and stayed anywhere else. Just because the Headmaster denied him permission to stay in the castle, which was ridiculous since the castle had people all year round, didn't mean the man could have forced him to go back to his home.

And now he was seeing it all over again, with this Harry Potter boy. Although he knew a lot more about Harry Potter than he had known about Tom Riddle, since Dumbledore always raved out loud about pretty much everything in regards to the boy. Almost every single detail had been uttered out loud by the old fool, at one point or another.

Now, though, the question was _how to use this to help Harry Potter?_ One thing that Phineas had found out was that one of his descendants, one Sirius Black, was the boy's Godfather. Which could definitely help his cause, however, Dumbledore had also raved about how glad he was that the man had been falsely accused had been thrown in Azkaban without a trial.

On the one hand, he could try to get this information to the proper ears, on the other hand… _how?_ That was the problem. He could always go to Grimmauld Place…. He had been there a few times after his death to visit with some of his, less demented, descendants and chat with his family, and cousins, most of whom resided in portraits in both the Black Manor of Grimmauld Place, and the Black House Of Camden, located about twenty minutes away from Grimmauld Place, and only 5 minutes walk time from St. Michael's Church.

Phineas had lived at Black Manor, and it was where his descendants, the likes of Walburga, and her currently imprisoned son, Sirius, had lived. And Walburga's younger brother Cygnus, had gone on to live at Black House in Camden, where his daughters, Bellatrix, who was also currently imprisoned, and Narcissa, who had married a Malfoy, had also lived. He wouldn't even mention the little one, Andromeda, who got disowned, officially.

Sirius had been disowned, but not officially, and once he had been arrested for supposedly assisting the little Dark Lord Riddle, Walburga, who was already very sick, and only had a few years left to live, had given him back everything that the heir deserved. Which meant, once the man was freed, he would become Head of House, and would be able to regain power, and give protection to Harry Potter.

The boy would need all the help he can get, all things considered.

* * *

"Please," said Molly, "please help my baby already!" she finished, her voice growing in volume. The MediWizard in front of her sighed in annoyance. "We're doing all we can," he answered her, "but there's other patients that require our attention, as well."

Dumbledore, who had accompanied Molly to the Hospital, grabbed her shoulder gently. "We should leave and let the good MediWizard work, Molly. You may come again next week, you know that."

Molly sighed and a few tears escaped her eyes, she sniffed and rubbed her nose with the sleeve of her crummy, long sleeved, robe. It had been getting colder lately, what with it being December and such, so Molly had pulled out all their winter robes from storage once again. The one she was wearing used to be a winter maternity robe, but since she hadn't been able to lose any of her pregnancy weight, she used it as a regular winter robe, now.

"You're right, as always…" she said, nodding slightly, and turning her back to her baby boy, before slowly walking away with Albus.

Ron was in a private room, as all mental patients usually are, but the boy wasn't acknowledging anyone or anything. He was kneeling in a corner of he room, his eyes still wide with fright. He wasn't speaking, but his lips moved, and he seemed to be trying to say _spiders _over and over again. It would be a while before the boy recovered.

Meanwhile, Dumbledore accompanied Molly home, and she invited him in for tea. "Oh, thank you, Molly, how gracious of you."

"Of course, Albus. I always say, you need to be a stuck up, rich, snob to be a gracious host." She commented, as she walked into the kitchen, Dumbledore walking behind her.

Dumbledore chuckled, "I always did find _humble_ families like yours to be _much_ nicer than others I'm too nice to mention."

"Oh, Albus, thank you." Said Molly, blushing slightly, as she used her wand to start making tea, and serving sweets.

"So, where are the children?" asked Dumbledore.

"I assume they must be in their rooms. I was in a hurry, I must admit, I simply dropped them off from the train station, and left to meet you, Albus, so we could see Ronniekins." Answered Molly, as she served tea, and cakes.

"…And, how had little Ginny been doing? I imagine it has to be hard to be the last child at home that's still not of age to go to Hogwarts?" asked Dumbledore as he took a bite of a cherry pastry, and a sip of tea.

"Oh, Ginny… I don't know what to do with that girl, anymore. She doesn't talk to me, she's always in her room… I just…. Don't know anymore." Answered Molly with a sad sigh.

"Oh? Is there anything I can do?" asked Dumbledore.

"Oh, how kind of you, Albus, really." Answered Molly with a smile. "You might be able to help me, actually." She continued, "with so many chores, and me and Ginny being the only girls at home… and us being alone now during the school year… well," she explained, "I'm always too busy to spend time with her, you know, so she's more used to being closer to the boys than to me…. So you see, as a_ boy_, technically, you might be able to get her to confide in you, and see if there's anything wrong with her…."

Dumbledore smiled, _perfect_ he thought to himself, "of course, she might just be bored, but I'll speak to her, nonetheless."

"Oh, thank you."

Dumbledore spoke with Molly about several minutes, before he got up, and went slowly towards the stairs. Molly stayed behind in the kitchen, and started preparing lunch.

Ginny was in her room, spending some alone time with herself, taking advantage of the quiet before her mother gets back, and her brothers start bothering each other and being loud. Her door was locked, and she was relaxing in her bed with her eyes closed. She was fantasizing about Harry Potter again, and in her mind she saw him, dressed in regal robes, wind and lightening in the background, standing on a hill, with wand in hand, and large piles of gold coins all around him.

She shuddered, and smiled, before giggling, and sighing happily. She didn't hear the soft knock on her door, but she did hear the creaking as the door opened, startling her.

Ginny opened her eyes, and jumped, stumbling and falling on the floor. _Did he see me?_ She thought embarrassed, her face turning completely red.

"Ah," said Dumbledore, smile on his face, and his eyes twinkling, "sorry for startling you, my dear. I knocked but…"

Ginny got up slowly, and straightened her robes. "No problem…" _Merlin, I hope he didn't see me…. Did he?_

"So, Ginny, how are you?" asked Dumbledore, eyes still twinkling.

Ginny frowned, she didn't like that twinkle, _maybe he did see me? Did he like it? Ew, he's like 200 years old, disgusting old man, what does he want?_ "I'm fine, sir… how are _you_?"

Dumbledore chuckled, "I'm good, my girl, I'm very good. Now… let's have a little talk, shall we?"

* * *

Back at Malfoy Manor, Harry was telling Draco about the extracurricular stuff he'd been learning. "Some of it's more useful than other…" Harry commented with a grin.

"Like what?" asked Draco.

"Well, I've been learning stuff that 'Cissa said you learned…. Like traditions, laws, stuff like that… and also some other stuff I saw on my own in one of the books in the library." He said with a sly smile.

"Stuff like what? You know they keep the more _dangerous_ books supposedly out of reach, right?" commented Draco.

Harry laughed, "nothing dangerous, just stupid…. I found this book _Prophecy and Divination_ by a woman named Cassandra Trelawney, and I remembered that the Divination professor at Hogwarts is also _Trelawney_ so." He finished explaining with a shrug.

"Oh, yeah, I think Cassandra was her grandmother or great-grandmother or something… apparently, Divination supposedly runs in the family… but from what I heard, Cassandra was the last one in her family who had any good reputation in regards to Divination…. Wrote lots of books, and helped a lot of people… but after _her_ no one else has been a seer or even any good at Divination." Explained Draco, shifting on the bed.

"Oh, so… what about Professor Trelawney?" asked Harry.

Draco just laughed and rolled his eyes, "She's pretty much a joke."

"Oh?"

"Yeah," continued Draco, "at least that's what I hear… apparently, every year, in every class, she predicts that someone from that class is going to die…. She's a freak."

"That's creepy…" commented Harry, overlooking the freak comment, that gave him a flashback of his Uncle Vernon calling him that.

"Yeah, in between _her_ and the _ghost_ teacher…. It's ridiculous… no wonder there's so many fights and rivalry's at Hogwarts…" commented Draco, "since we don't learn anything in class, we get bored and start fights."

"Hah, yeah, probably." Answered Harry with a laugh.

"So, you were saying you read that woman's book?" asked Draco, getting back on track.

"Oh, yeah, it was actually pretty interesting… well, most of it, anyways. And there was this section about Tarot, and there was a tarot set next to the book, so after I read about it, I gave myself a reading just for laughs."

"Oh Merlin, really?" Draco asked with a laugh.

"Yeah, I actually got something really interesting." Answered Harry.

"Oh?" asked Draco.

"Yep, I got the 7 of cups, which signifies dreams and a mystical experience-" he got interrupted by Draco, "did you write it down?" he asked startled, when he saw Harry had pulled out a paper out of his pocket.

"What…. The book said it's a good idea to always write down whatever readings you get, because sometimes they don't have any immediate significance, and you might need to remember it at some point."

Draco shook his head, "whatever, so what else did your _reading _say?" he asked with a chuckle.

"Well, I got a 2 of clubs, which represents uhm… success, friendship, and allies and the Ace of Swords, which… well…" Harry trailed off, almost embarrassed, and Draco grinned, "what?"

"The Ace of Swords represents a _hero_…. Or a leader… and also, the birth of someone brave and the accomplishments of objectives." Harry said, finally blushing slightly.

Draco's eyes widened slightly before he started laughing loudly, "maybe Tarot's more accurate than I thought!" he said in between laughs.

"Stop it!" Harry said, laughing as well, but still blushing.

"Oh, _I'm_ sorry…. Hero." Added Draco, still chuckling slightly.

"Shut it." Harry murmured, a smile still on his face.

"Aah, heh. Alright, so what else have you been studying?"

"Well, the book 'Cissa gave me, _A treatise on energy_, is pretty good, actually. Not as boring as the name would imply." Answered Harry, "the books talks about what Daphne mentioned during Halloween? About magic, and different types?" Harry asked, and Draco nodded.

"Well," Harry continued, "the book talks about a theory about how magic originated in people, and how a very, very long time ago, people got together with magical creatures, and since magical creatures have a natural light or dark alignment, it caused the descendants of those unions, to be born not just with magic, but with a natural alignment similar to that of the creature they are descended from."

"Oh, yeah, I read about that in another book, a smaller one than the one mother gave you. It's more of a theory than anything…" responded Draco.

"Yeah, but it's a good theory, and one of the ones that explains our origins the best. And, it helps the cause of Dark Wizards, because now they have an excuse. If you're born with a specific alignment, then it's ridiculous for others to criticize you or limit what you're taught by making dark magic appear evil." Explained Harry.

"Mmhh, that's a good point. Now, speaking of _books_… you told me you read the book I sent you, took notes and everything before returning it…so…?" asked Draco.

"Oh, yeah. I did read it… I found my parents in it, and I found Sirius Black in it… and, of course, Tom Riddle." Answered Harry.

"Ok, so what did you find?" asked Draco, impatiently.

Harry rolled his eyes, "well, I'd have to go and actually _get_ my notes, if you want a lot of details. But of the top of my head, it says that my dad graduated with honors, and was Head Boy. Also, despite the fact that he got into a lot of trouble with his group of friends, he also did very well in all his classes. Oh, and I saw his picture, and well, I can see a resemblance, obviously, but nothing like people wanna make it seem, you know? _You look exactly like your dad except for your eye color_, that's ridiculous. We both have short black hair, and glasses, but that's were the similarities pretty much end, really, our faces are somewhat similar, but not _exactly_ alike."

Draco chuckled, "that makes sense, you know, the Potters married into several different old families, so it's possible you'll have traits from other families, and not just your dad. What else did it say?"

"Well," Harry continued, thoughtfully, "my mom was Head Girl, and she had very good grades, she was very popular with the teachers, and eventually, as she got older, she became more popular in school, mostly because of how loud my dad was in pursuit of her _affections_." He finished with a light laugh.

"…Why does the book have all that information? How would it know?" asked Draco, slightly confused.

Harry thought for a bit, then answered, "I think it's magically updated each year… anyways, I saw the included seventh year picture, like it has with my dad, and she's pretty. Well, _was_ pretty, I suppose…. She had dark red hair, like it's dark, but you can still clearly tell that's red, you know? And she had green eyes, like everyone says, but I think hers were a slightly darker green than mine…"

"That's great, Harry."

"Yeah, by the way, call me Henry, from now on." Commented Harry, lightly.

Draco was startled, "what, why?" he asked, confused.

"Well," answered Harry, "according to this book your dad showed me, my name is actually Henry, and Harry is just a nickname… so from now on, when we're in private, you can call me Henry, and not Harry… it probably wouldn't be safe at school to do that, just in case the wrong ears hear it, but at least here or in the common room, maybe, we can."

"…So, Henry, eh? Cool. You know what they say about names and nicknames, right?" asked Draco.

"Of course, your dad explained it to me already, in great detail, I might add. Apparently words are important in everything in this world, and not just with spells and rituals." Answered Harry with a sigh, and a roll of his eyes, there was so much information to be had, that sometimes it was tiring and overwhelming.

"So.. Keep going, then… what did it say about… your godfather?" asked Draco, almost hesitantly.

"…Well, he had good grades, but he wasn't an outstanding student… he got into a lot of trouble throughout his seven years, mostly because of all the fights he had with family members in Slytherin… since he's pretty much the first Black from the main branch to go into Gryffindor in several generations… and, also, in _his_ generation, there were several Black children, which meant he had at least… 3 or 4 family members actually _at _Hogwarts at the same time as him… including his brother, who started like… 2 years after him… I think…" continued Harry, thoughtfully.

He had been especially interested in finding information about Sirius Black, considering he was his parent's friend in school, he was supposed to gain custody of him, and he's still alive. Also, there's the fact that, according to his friends, Sirius never had a trial, so it's very likely he's innocent.

"Wow," commented Draco, "you found all that in the school book?" he asked.

"No, I found some of that in another book…" answered Harry.

"So, you've been busy, I see."

"Well," said Harry in response, "it's not like there's much else to do around here… So I've been spending most of my time reading… and half the time this still doesn't even feel real, you know? Me, being a wizard.. It's still pretty incredible… so when I read all those things, I feel like I'm reading a story, it doesn't even feel like studying to me, you know? Which makes it easier to learn it, really."

"I understand… I think… you spent all your life not knowing of your heritage… or anything about the world where you truly belong…" said Draco, understandingly. It was hard to imagine, but he felt he could somewhat _understand_ a little, how hard this must still be for Harry.

"Like I've told you," continued Harry, "I only found out I was a wizard, literally, a month before going to Hogwarts. After Hagrid took me to buy my school stuff, and _only_ my school stuff… he dropped me off at the Dursley's, and then my uncle hid away all my newly bought school stuff… which meant I didn't even get a chance to read anything…" he trailed off, his voice sad, and with a hint of anger.

Draco sighed as well, if there were any muggles worth hating, it was Harry's so called _relatives_. "Hey, it's alright. I know you had an awful time living with them, but for what it's worth, you won't have to go back, I promise. My dad will use every resource at his disposable to keep you here, with us, at least until we can find a suitable guardian… maybe even Sirius Black, if we can get him a trial and he really does turn out to be innocent?"

Harry sighed, "thanks… that… makes me feel a little better. And, now I have the opportunity to learn everything I can… anything I want… so I'll make the best the best of it…"

"Yeah, as my mom says, no one can take knowledge away unless they obliviate you." Commented Draco, which made Harry chuckle a little.

"So…" continued Draco, "you've held off long enough now… what did you find on Tom Riddle?" he asked, hesitating a little at the beginning, then continuing without any doubt in his voice.

Harry took a breath, and looked down, then looked up at Draco without turning his head. "I've found enough…"

"Oh?" asked Draco, curious, and almost dreading, about what Harry could have possibly found about the Dark Lord before he officially became Voldemort. Draco was one of the few people in the world who knew about Voldemort's identity. He had, in actuality, found out the truth of Voldemort's identity quite by accident and his father had, afterwards, sworn him to secrecy. He had said it didn't matter, though if Dumbledore read his mind and found out he knew, since the man had known since the beginning that Voldemort and Tom Riddle were the same person. But, of course, Draco wasn't supposed to communicate this knowledge to anyone in any way.

"Well, some basic stuff… I saw his picture and the first thing I noticed was how much we look alike…" Harry started saying, and Draco raised his eyebrows in wonder, "oh?' he said.

"Yes," said Harry in answer to Draco silent question, "but it wasn't an _oh my god_ we could be twins or something…. More like… a vague resemblance, like I have with my father."

Draco frowned, "so, what? Like a _we might be distantly related_ type of resemblance?" he asked.

"Yeah, something like that… I guess."

"Wow…so what else did it say?" asked Draco in wonderment. He was more shocked than Harry could imagine, _if only Harry knew who Tom Riddle actually is!_ He thought to himself.

"Well, he was very popular, loved by pretty much all the teachers except for Dumbledore… I can tell because he has outstanding grades in all his classes except for Transfiguration in the few years he had Dumbledore as a teacher… he ended up requesting to take his Newts early for that class, and had an Outstanding… and there's also a complain on file about it…

"…there's a copy in the book, it was filed by Dumbledore, right before Tom took his Newts for Dumbledore's class. Dumbledore said Tom wasn't ready, that he was a bad student and a troublemaker, and since he hadn't taken his Owls in that class that he shouldn't be allowed to take his Newts-" Harry was interrupted, then, by a shocked Draco.

"He hadn't taken his Owls, yet?" he asked, with surprise in his voice.

"Yeah," answered Harry, "this happened… during his fourth year, if I remember correctly. So, he filed a complain, but since everyone knew Tom as an Outstanding student… the Complaint filed was seen with an eye of suspicion, and disregarded. Afterwards, Dumbledore was _publicly_ embarrassed, after an owl brought an official announcement _during breakfast_, which announced out loud, much like a howler, that Tom Riddle had received Outstanding _with honors_ for his Newts tests in Transfiguration."

"Wow… that's amazing." Commented Draco.

"Yeah," agreed Harry, who wasn't quite ready to admit that all the information he had just told Draco hadn't _all_ come from the book. "What's better," he continued, "was that _everyone_ knew Dumbledore had filed a complaint against Tom taking the test… so when the announcement was made, everyone started congratulating Tom, even the Headmaster, who was _at the time_ Professor Dippet, I think… and promptly exempted him from Transfiguration class…" Harry trailed off, laughing.

"Dumbledore was beyond embarrassed… and of course, he hated Tom even more after that." Harry finished, chuckling and shaking his head.

Draco frowned, Harry was speaking as if someone had _told_ him the story, not as if he had read it somewhere… that was… odd.

"Where… where did you hear that story?" he asked.

Harry almost chocked, "I read it, of course…"

"But where?" asked Draco, his voice insistent.

Harry didn't know what to say, he was trapped, "from a book, of course…"

"Which one?"insisted Draco.

Harry fumbled, Tom had told him not to say anything about their connection, because it was something that, even in the Magic World, it was out of the norm. But now the question remained, what could he say to Draco?

It was then, as he was wondering in those few seconds, that he heard a voice in his head. _Diary_ the voice whispered, _hidden… in library… Malfoy… secret._

Harry's eyes widened a little, and he licked his lips, "don't say anything to your dad, please?" he asked, as he stalled for time to think about what the voice was saying.

Draco frowned, "what about?"

"I found a diary… in.. The library. I think it was in one of those… secret… sections, where the more dangerous and powerful books are?" Harry finally explained. "It was by accident… but I found it interesting because…" Harry trailed off as the voice whispered again, _blank pages…. Memories inside… like pensieve._

"…Because… it had blank pages, and instead, it had memories stored in it, like a pensieve… and one of those memories was of that incident. I think… it's Tom Riddle's diary… what a weird coincidence, right?" Harry finished explaining, and he shrugged and grinned a little.

Draco continued to frowned, with worry and curiosity. "Yeah… weird… I guess, mom'll freak out if she finds out you've been snooping in that section of the library… there's dangerous books there… some of them yell at you when you open them, it's weird." He said, still a little bewildered.

"Yeah, exactly, so you see why I want to keep this a secret." Added Harry, his voice now normal, as he smiled pleasantly, and shrugged a little.

"Yeah, of course." Answered Draco, in agreement.

"So…" started Harry, as if to change topics, "can't believe we've got the mudblood here, right?"

"I know, I can't imagine what father's thinking, really." Answered Draco, finally distracted. "And having to have her sitting with us during lunch was awfully awkward." He added.

"I know… she kept staring at her plate almost the whole time," Harry said with a tired sigh, "and when she wasn't, she was staring at everything around her like it was the most amazing thing she'd ever seen."

Draco shook his head, "the worst part was when she kept staring at the other _patrons_ like they were the most amazing thing she'd ever seen… I know she's a mudblood… but _you_ grew up in the muggle world, and _you_ don't act like her."

"Yeah…" agreed Harry lightly, _best not to mention the only reason for that is that I'm trying to fit in…_ he thought to himself.

* * *

As the sky darkened over Malfoy Manor, Harry grew nervous and excited. It was only about an hour now, before they had to leave for the party. Harry knew there was going to be some type of traditional ritual done after dinner, and before dessert; this was why he was nervous. He had asked Draco, but the boy didn't know anything about it. Traditionally, pureblooded children under 11 got dinner, and then they were taken away to a separate room to have dessert while the everyone else stayed behind.

All they knew was that a ritual would take place, and spells, charms, and potions were going to be in place right before they entered the dinner/ritual chamber at the restaurant to ensure privacy. There could be no way for anyone who wasn't at the party to find out what had happened. Therefore, they would receive further instructions after dinner ended, and right after anyone under 11 got taken somewhere else.

By the time they left, Harry decided to calm down, since, after all, he wasn't the only one who didn't know what was going to happen.

Lucius, Narcissa, Draco, and Harry, all gathered at the entrance, ready to go. They all looked as dapper as they had for lunch. Not a hair out of place, thanks to a few spells placed on their expensive outfits.

They would be using the fireplace and landing on an Arrival Hall at the restaurant. Since the privacy spells wouldn't be in place until right before they entered the Dinning Chamber, the Arrival Hall had been set up tonight with spells so that only those who had written invitation for the dinner even enter. All others would be rerouted to a random location.

Right before they had gathered together and were set to leave, though, Harry had cornered Draco in the Hall where the room with the fireplace used for flooing was located. "I'm going to need your help." He said to the blond boy.

Draco frowned, "with what?" he asked with curiosity.

"With Daphne and Pansy, of course." Harry answered, his voice exasperated. "They both kissed me today, remember?" he asked, annoyance clear as he remembered how he was pounced on.

"Oh, right, well, what do you want me to do? Set you up?" asked Draco, amused.

"No, you halfwit!" Harry exclaimed, he was still bothered when he thought about it, he couldn't believe they had forced his first kiss like that. Did they, perhaps, think it would help their cause or something? That he would start going out with them simply because of that? Those two girls were his only two female friends, and now….

"What I want," said Harry, "is for them to forget about the kiss, and don't pester me about it. But I don't know how to do it…"

Draco frowned thoughtfully, "oh."

"Yeah," said Harry, in response to Draco's thoughtful face. "I don't want them to start acting weird around me just because they kissed me."

"Right…" responded Draco, as he heard what Harry was actually asking. "Well, I suppose that's just as well… makes you more _desirable_ as a _boyfriend_, I guess if you just act as if nothing happened and ignore the fact that they obviously want you to go out with them…."

Draco was actually quite knowledgeable in those matters, which is something he would never readily admit. While his father had introduced him to the art of manipulation, his mother had taught him more about people's feelings and how they react to certain things. Narcissa didn't want her only son making a fool of himself by saying the wrong thing at the wrong moment, so she had taught him as much as he could handle with his young age.

The result of his parents teachings made it so Draco combined his mothers lessons on _feelings_ with his father's lessons on _manipulation_. It made to be quite the formidable weapon, and Draco slowly learning just how to use it to get the most out of the people around him. Harry's problem would be good practice.

"So? Are you going to help me or what? I just know they'll be staring at me with expectant eyes the first moment they see me!" Harry exclaimed, troubled about it. "I know," he added, "I've seen it enough in muggle school, you know?"

"Alright, alright, calm down, Henry." Said Draco, his voice trying to be calming.

Harry's eyes widened slightly, "you called me _Henry._"

"Oh," Draco said, just now realizing it, "so I did… I guess it just slipped out…"

Harry smiled, "it's o.k… I'm just surprised. It sounded… good." He finished with a grin.

"Yeah, I just gotta make sure it doesn't slip out when we're outside." Commented Draco.

"Yeah." Agreed Harry, as he thought about the trouble _that_ would cause if it happened.

Lucius and Narcissa appeared just then, as timely and gracefully as ever. They ushered the kids into the room, and soon they all left. First went Lucius, followed by Draco, so that Harry could see how it was done, and then followed Harry, who stumbled slightly as he landed. Lucius helped him and moved him away from the fireplace just in time, as Narcissa appeared only seconds later.

The room they had landed in was amazingly classy looking, and Harry had to resist the urge to look around too much. The walls were colored with a light pastel green, and lined with gold. There were a few portraits of wizards and witches dressed in modern wizard outfits, the likes of which Harry had seen in the shop that lined the streets where the restaurant they'd gone to lunch at was.

To his shock, though Harry recognized a few famous muggle paintings. One of which was a naked woman standing on a shell, and Harry could see that it was slightly animated, which did cause him to stare, because the wind being blown by one of the figures in the painting was actually moving, and the naked woman's hair was flying about, almost threatening to expose her.

Harry swallowed, and noticed Draco standing next to him, also staring the painting. Narcissa huffed and rolled her eyes, "_that_ is _not_ a proper painting for a restaurant." She commented, slightly outraged.

Lucius smirked and grabbed the boys by the shoulders and moved them away. They were soon greeted by a host, who checked their names on a list, professionally kept himself from staring at _the_ Boy-Who-Lived too much. They were showed through a rather narrow and long hallway, before reaching an opening with big double doors in front of them.

The doors opened, and they all walked inside slowly. Harry did stare now. There was small round tables all over a really spacious room. The center of the room had been left empty, and it was a really big space. The tables were all over the room, except for the big empty space in the middle, and they were all nicely covered with mantles, and typical flower centerpieces.

Harry was surprised with the muggle-like setting. It reminded him of the way muggles decorated when they had weddings and big birthday celebrations. Everything, except for the plates, was already set up, and as he looked around, he saw that nothing was moving in the room. The lights were on the walls and ceiling, like muggle light-bulbs, and a huge crystal chandelier was right at the center of the ceiling.

If he didn't know better, he could have sworn this was a muggle wedding party at a typical muggle salon. Harry found he rather liked how non-magical everything seemed to be. It was so different from Hogwarts and Diagon Alley, that now Harry was half starting to suspect that everything was set up that way in those places on purpose, as if they were tourist attractions… or maybe as a deterrent for muggleborns who are used to their"modern" things. Harry now figured that maybe the pure-bloods thought the muggleborns wouldn't know any better, and they'd simply see Diagon Alley and Hogwarts, and see how _less evolved_ everything was, culture wise, and they'd just leave and go back to their non-magical world.

Immediately after his observations, though, he noticed there was quite the number of people present already. Most of whom he didn't know, and several that he vaguely recognized as being members of other houses at Hogwarts. He was surprised when he actually recognized two older Gryffindor boys, and a Hufflepuff girl from his same year. But of course, that only the people he _could_ recognize from those he didn't personally know, or talk to.

His friends came over to greet them all, along with the adults with them. Daphne was the first one to reach them, along with Astoria, who was holding Daphne's hand and still looking around at everything and everyone one. Harry supposed she must be young enough for this to be her first time at this party.

Blaise strolled over right behind them, and Harry gratefully went over to him, and greeted him. He had no desire to be standing close to Daphne right at this moment, since he still felt awkward due to the kiss she had given him. So he greeted them both quickly, and walked over to Blaise before the boy could reach them. Now he had an excuse, even though it must have been pretty obvious.

Blaise was still dressed in the same relaxed muggle-wear he had been wearing when he had reached the station with the others. "Escaping, are you?" he asked with a smirk as soon as Harry finished greeting him.

Harry almost blushed at being found out so quickly, "yes." He answered simply.

"Fine, come here, then." Said Blaise with a roll of his eyes, grabbing Harry's hand and pulling him away.

"What?" asked Harry, curious, as he allowed himself to be pulled away.

"Trust me, after this, they'll stay away if they know what's good for them." Answered Blaise, his voice almost dark, yet amused.

Harry frowned, and smiled hesitantly.

Blaise pulled him to a slightly hidden corner of the room, right behind a column. And proceeded to push Harry against the wall. Harry hissed at the pain of his back hitting the the wall, and opened his mouth to complain, but his eyes widened when Blaise covered his lips with his own. _Not again_, Harry thought almost exasperated, and annoyed at his luck.

Blaise kissed him with his eyes open, his hand against Harry's chest, keeping him pushed against the wall with surprising strength. Harry closed his eyes, and his breath caught when Blaise bit his lower lip. The kiss lasted longer than Pansy's and Daphne's put together, during which Harry's brain muddled, and all he could concentrate on was the feel of Blaise's hand on his chest. Blaise moaned and deepened the kiss, and Harry gasped, as much as he could what with his mouth currently being otherwise occupied. He felt Blaise caress his chest, and just when he was about to reach his lower areas, the black boy pulled away and took a deep breath, licking his own lips, and smirking.

Harry didn't know what to do, feel or think for a few seconds, before his mind finally started working again, and his sputtered, "what… what was that?"

Blaise just continued to smirk, "that was a kiss, I thought you knew, what with Daphne and Pansy kissing you, and all."

"I know what a kiss is, you bloody bastard, I just meant-" Harry started speaking, annoyed, but was interrupted.

"They saw us." Blaise said simply.

"What?" asked Harry, confused.

"Pansy, and Daphne, they saw us… I think Pansy was crying when she walked away… although Daphne took a while to walk away, maybe she actually enjoyed watching." Blaise finished with a laugh.

Draco came over before Harry could say anything, though, and the boy almost looked betrayed. "What the hell, when did this happened?" he asked, outraged.

Harry was confused, "when did _what_ happened?"

Blaise just looked amused, "what he means is, when did we start going out… cuz you certainly looked like you were used to having me kiss you."

Harry's breath caught in surprise, "no! You got it wrong! I- We- There's nothing-"

Blaise rolled his eyes, and continued what Harry was trying to say, "I was just helping out, and from the sounds of Pansy crying, I think I succeeded."

Draco stayed quiet for a few seconds, "so you're not gay?"

"No!" Harry answered, outraged, "I'm not, and I'm certainly not going out with _this_ guy!"

Draco, "oh, I get it now…"

Harry huffed, "bastard took me by surprise. He figured I was trying to get away from Daphne, and then guided me here and kissed me. I didn't have any say in the matter."

Draco chuckled, and shook his head, "right, right… now I get it. Don't worry. If it helps," he added, "when I saw Daphne walking away, she looked sad and surprised. But they won't say anything."

"I hope so, that's the last thing I need, rumors of the ex-Golden boy being gay. I just know Dumbles would blame _you_ guys for corrupting me." Said Harry, crossing his arms.

Blaise laughed, "well, even if they wanted to say anything, they can't. This reception hall is spelled with almost everything they could come up with. Nothing that goes on here can be talked about, except with someone else who was here, and witnessed it."

Harry looked a little confused at the last part, so Draco clarified, "what he means, is that since no one but me, Pansy, and Daphne, saw you guys kissing, we can't talk about it except with each other."

"Oh," said Harry, his eyes lighting up, "that's pretty neat." Then he turned to Blaise and frowned, "don't ever kiss me again, or I'll learn a nasty curse just for you."

Blaise laughed, "I'll try to restrain myself."

"Well, come on." Draco commented suddenly, "I came over to let you know that almost everyone's here and their going to start serving the appetizer's momentarily."

"Oh, alright." Said Harry in response.

Blaise nodded, and grabbed Harry's arm, causing Harry to become startled once again. "What…?" asked Harry, trailing off.

Blaise smirked, "calm yourself and let me guide you, we want them to think we're together in sweet wizard to wizard love, right?"

Harry blushed, and sputtered but he allowed himself to be guided by the slightly bigger boy. They reached their table, and sat, Harry, with Blaise and Draco on each side; and they were joined quickly by Blaise's mother, who sat by her son's side, and Narcissa, who sat by Draco's along with Lucius, who took the last chair, in between Narcissa and Blaise's mother. Their table only sat six people, but there were other tables that sat more people, but nothing smaller than six.

Harry glanced at the other tables, and noticed people discreetly turning to look at him every now and then. He also noticed Daphne, and her family, sharing a table with a girl from Hufflepuff, and someone who Harry thought he recognized from the papers.

"Hey, Blaise, who is that? At the table with Daphne…?" he asked in a whisper, leaning close to Blaise. Blaise frowned in thought as he looked over, "oh, that's Susan Bones with her aunt Amelia Bones." He explained, then added, "Susan lives with her aunt, she was an only child when her parents died… apparently, they were spellmages, spell creators… they were working on a spell to use during the war, but they died when their experimentations went wrong… the whole house _imploded_… it was… amazing, it seems. All that was left was a crater."

"Wow… what kind of spell causes that?" asked Harry.

"Who knows… all their notes disappeared with them.. No bodies were ever found… most of the information from the case was declared classified _by_ Amelia herself. _She_ is the Head of the Auror department… uhm, the _legal _department, laws and stuff." Explained Blaise, he didn't know exactly, but the case had captured the imagination of the populace at the time it happened.

Draco had heard their conversation and added his two knuts, "She's the Head of the DMLE, _Department of Magical Law Enforcement_."

"Right, but she wasn't when it all happened, though… the case it's what got her the promotion, actually, it's quite tragic, really…" explained Blaise, "her brother, and his wife die… and she gets a promotion working such a difficult case…"

Harry nodded as he heard everything, "it really is awful… but… what's she doing _here_?" he asked, curious that she'd be here, in a party that, for all intents and purposes, is basically a dedication to Old families, and Dark wizards.

Draco looked almost confused, "well, she's a Dark Witch by birth, of course. So is Susan." He answered Harry, as if it should be obvious.

Blaise rolled his eyes and explained to the confused Harry, "the Bones are descended from Necromancers, that's why their last name is _Bones_." He said, and then continued, when Harry looked less confused, and more curious, "in the olden days, when Necromancy was more common, there were titles that one gained through practice of the art. _Bones_ is one of the higher titles, because it means the Necromancer can give life to bones, which is more difficult to do than simply giving life to a rotting body, after all, bones have nothing that hold them together… right? So, the Bones family hasn't actively practiced Necromancy, that we know of, ever since it was outlawed about a hundred years ago, but the magic is steeped in them, and they are born Dark, and with a natural affinity towards death magic, which is a surprisingly bast branch."

Harry, _and_ Draco both looked impressed, and Harry said, "I'm not even going to wonder how you know all that."

Draco scoffed, "I stopped wondering _ages_ ago."

The rest of the meal passed by rather uneventfully, with Harry liberally enjoying his meal in a way that would have almost put even the Dursleys to shame. Not that you could really compare it, since the meals Harry was having would quickly be consumed by his magic, and Harry would never be at risk of becoming fat. Also, there was the quality of the meals to consider, for an appetizer Harry chose something called Sashimi, served with salmon and tuna. The first course, for Harry, consisted of a salad with pan-fried Lobster, which he found weird to eat, but appetizing nonetheless. This meal was followed by grilled dover sole with caper and anchovy butter, and for dessert, a rich peanut butter parfait with white chocolate ice cream and cherry sorbet.

By the time Harry finished eating, he felt so full it was a wonder he hadn't thrown up all over the place. But Narcissa had insisted that he eat everything, enjoy it all, and take as much time as he needed, since this was a celebration, and there was no hurry. But Harry couldn't remember ever having quite an exquisite meal as this one before. In fact, he was sure he hadn't, even at Hogwarts, where every meal was a feast. This was something that had been prepared carefully, with care and attention to detail; it wasn't a meal to satisfy hungry children, it was a meal to satisfy a palate that was used to having such level of exquisite meals quite often.

The hidden agenda for such a meal, Harry quickly found, was the ritual that would follow. As the children younger than eleven were ushered to a side room by those in charge, others started moving the tables even further away and drawing symbols all over the place.

On the ground, Lucius carefully explained to them, were symbols called Seals, and different runes surrounding them. He identified for them the Seal for confidence, called Luga for short, since the true name is quite long. Lucius also identified for them two other types of seals, number 20 and 21, but he refused to explain what those were for, and finally the symbol that pertained to all eleven year olds in the room, seal number 31, the seal of knowledge.

According to Lucius, they will sit on the symbol, and will be guided in a chant of power. Each person sits on their corresponding symbol, and repeats the same chant, but with only a few differences depending on the symbol each person is sitting on. They had to use a specific word for the symbol, and each symbol had a different word. Harry's word was Akabal, and his friends also had the same word, because they had to sit in the same symbol.

They were instructed to sit on the ground, without crossing their arms or legs, and to concentrate on what the symbol represented. In the case of Harry and his friends, it was knowledge; the seal would help reveal for them the knowledge in everything, even of hidden things. At its simplest, it meant that studying would come easier for them from now on, but its most noticeable effects varied from person to person, because everyone visualized differently, and put forth different amounts and types of magic into it.

The seals were surrounded by runes; Harry recognized Sowilu quickly, because it was the same shape as his scar. There was a number of other runes that Harry didn't recognize, however, and a number of symbols on the walls that he also didn't recognize. Candles floated on every corner of the room, from the ground to the ceiling, and the lights from the chandelier were soon replaced by candles, as well. By the time everything was set up, the air in the room was solemn, and charged with magic from all the Witches and Wizards in the room. The only light came from the candles, and Harry could feel himself become immersed within himself, and his mind became like another floating candle. His eyes and head became heavy, yet light, as he started chanting with everyone. Soon he couldn't register anyone, even though he could see them, all he could think about were the words, the magic, and the purpose of the symbol.

In the back of his mind, he knew there was something lurking there, something dark, and it started slowly seeping into the rest of his mind and body. He chanted and chanted, and he could feel the dark being in his mind, mixing with his magic, and becoming one. Harry didn't know how much time had passed, but he couldn't have stopped concentrating and chanting if his life depended on it.

At the height of the chanting, Harry could hear another voice inside of him, and this voice was chanting with him. Louder and louder, until all he could hear was his own voice, and that of the person inside him. Harry couldn't stop chanting to identify it, but he knew, without even having to think about it, that the voice belonged to Tom Riddle. And when the moment passed, the moment when he knew Tom Riddle and Harry Potter had become one, Harry suddenly knew Tom Riddle was Voldemort, and then he knew no more.

**End Of Chapter~**

**Chiyoku says: **are you as shocked and excited as I am? Seriously, I had no idea what was going to happen until I finished writing it. I welcome all types of reviews gleefully. I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. Also, I made this chapter extra long, just because it took me so ling to update (actually, I lie, I made it extra long, because it couldn't be written any other way… it had to be as long as it was, really, otherwise it would have been _wrong_, really) but still, hope you enjoyed, and thanks for **review**ing.

ps: I tried to add break lines this chapter, did they stay?


	17. Chapter 17

**Chiyoku says: **Hi, guys! I'm finally updating! It took me longer than I wanted to… but, then… it's always the same story ain't it?

Did I tell you guys that I finally know what to do with Hermione and Ginny? I know all of you have different opinions in regards to both these girls, and unfortunately, I can't satisfy everyone. But I do have an interesting idea, so if you stick around, you'll eventually get to read it.

I'm trying to go faster with this story…. Cuz I can't believe that it's been 17 chapters and it's still only December of their first year…. Sheesh… but I guess there's no helping it, really. It's been pretty interesting anyways, and it's been stuff that -had- to be written. It's hard for me to jump right into it without giving the main characters some meat, if you know what I mean.

But anyways, there's several ideas that I'm slowly working my way towards, and there's one very important part of the story that I came up with before I even started writing this story, but before I get to it, I have to do other stuff, or it won't make sense. Because the characters need to arrive to a certain point in a natural manner, you know? I can't force them. But it's getting there. Also, Lucius and Narcissa have decided it's time to work on freeing Sirius, so that'll happen soon (not in this chapter, but certainly before Harry's first year ends)

As far as pairings are concerned, sorry, nothing official yet. It's something that the characters themselves have to decide (like Blaise kissing Harry, glad you liked it, and that it was written right, but it was all Blaise's doing. Not my idea at all! All of a sudden the guy's kissing Harry and I'm like -woh, down boy!-) =P

There have been some questions in regards to Harry and Voldy…. Hopefully this chapter will answer some of your questions and concerns.

Oh, and I totally forgot to deal with the Bones! Oops. I guess it should be noted that since both Amelia and Susan were at the "pureblood only" party that's usually attended mostly by dark families, there's shouldn't be any concern over whether Amelia will be working -against- Harry. But I still don't know what'll happen, my guess is once Lucius goes back to work, he'll have a run in or two with Amelia. And, of course, Susan will remember seeing Harry and his group there, but I doubt she's brave or stupid enough to actually approach them in school. Also, it should be noted that, I'm pretty sure, that the Longbottom's were -not- in attendance? So that's important, too, considering they're supposedly an important pureblood family, too, and neither were the Weasley's, for obvious reason, who are pureblood, but poor and, pretty sure, not ancient.

One last thing, someone wrote me a review in portuguese….I'm pretty sure they like the story…XD I used Google Translate to try to figure it out, and while not completely accurate, it was accurate enough for me to be able to answer the questions: Harry will -not- be buying a snake anytime soon (mostly because I always find it hard to give any pets any type of important role or any screen time at all) And, as for the parseltongue thing… mmhh…. Let's just say that a more than slightly insane Ron will be going back to Hogwarts during Harry's second year. Heh.

(Sorry for the super long A/N)

Ps: remember last chapter, Harry told Draco about a tarot reading he did for himself? Would it surprise you if I said it's actually accurate? I did a three card reading thinking about Harry Potter, those three exact cards came out! Creepy, huh? Especially since the first card, with the mystical experience, actually pertains to what happened to Harry in the last part of the chapter, and what's here on this chapter.

**Enjoy!**

**Alternation Nation**

**A fanfiction by Chiyoku Shibata**

_**Recap: **__Some insight into Harry's thoughts, Draco and Harry catch up some more, Phineas Nigellus Black's thoughts from the office, a scene with Molly and Dumbledore, some foreshadowing regarding Ginny and her role in all of it, Harry talks to Draco about the Tarot reading he did, and then later they go to the important dinner where Blaise kisses Harry, and then they perform a ritual of knowledge (for the eleven year olds) which ends with Harry passing out, again._

**Chapter 17: December 17: Awakening Through Unconsciousness**

Albus Dumbledore sat in his office, a small pouch in his hand. He was digging through it and mumbling to himself. Finally he sighed, and looked up at the wizard who was sitting across from him. "Peter, my boy, I don't suppose you can tell me what you know and wait for me to pay you later?"

Peter, also known as Wormtail, huffed and crossed his arms, his stance saying _no_ loud and clear.

Albus sighed, and thought to himself, _if only I could threaten him and curse him into telling me what he knows…. But, as they say, this is a m.a.d. situation. I can't force him, because if he's ever caught, then he can tell that I knew he was alive. Damn him for being cunning enough to cast the anti-obliviate charm on himself._

The anti-obliviate is a charm that has to be cast often because it wears off, but it's dead useful for when you have to go to a private meeting with someone of importance. And since Albus had known all along that Peter was alive, and Sirius was innocent, it made Peter all the more dangerous for Albus' health. The man, unfortunately, knew that, and had a habit of casting said charm at least once a week.

"Well," continued Dumbledore, when Peter didn't say a word, "I suppose you'll simply have to come back some other time, then." He commented lightly, trying to make it seem like the information that Peter gathers for him wasn't as important as the gold that Peter received from Dumbledore was to the rat-like man.

"I'll assume you have enough gold left to last you a week or so…?" asked Dumbledore, seemingly uncaring, "because I'm afraid I doubt I'll have the time to go make a withdrawal this week."

Peter huffed, "you know that won't work on me, you need the information more than I need the money, after all, as a rat, I can survive without money."

Dumbledore growled, "not if it gets out, after all, you can't be here _all_ the time. Or your _owners_ will _miss _you. And while you're gone, it could mysteriously become known that Peter, famous martyr of the last war, was a _rat_. I'm sure that _somewhere_ there's a picture of you in your rat form, in the company of the rest of the marauders. And if such a picture, along with a picture of the whole Weasley family in the company of their little pet with the mysteriously long life, were to reach the papers… well, someone will surely find such a thing suspicious."

Peter growled back, "and I'm sure some people will find it suspicious, if they find me, that there was never a trial for Sirius… and that, along with the fact that I could start babbling about the wrong thing… it could spell trouble for a certain disgusting old bee. So let's make sure nothing mysterious happens, alright?"

Dumbledore huffed and tapped his fingers against the table in a rhythmic manner denoting annoyance. They both had something to lose if either one of them speaks the wrong thing to the wrong person. Which was why theirs was a m.a.d. situation, as Dumbledore liked to call it. A Mutually Assured Destruction, coined rightly by the muggles.

"Fine then, leave and come back in a week." Growled Dumbledore finally.

Peter went to leave, but then he hesitated and turned back to Dumbledore, "there is one thing, though, that I'll give you for free… all things considered, you'll find out soon enough anyways."

Dumbledore calmed at that, "what is it?"

"The boy is awake." Answered Peter, his voice calm. He knew Dumbledore would find out soon enough anyways, since he was at the train station.

"How do you know? When did he wake?" asked Dumbledore, shocked; he had been counting on the boy being unconscious for much longer than this, as it would mean that the Malfoy's would have less time to brainwash Harry with their fortune.

"I was at the train station yesterday morning, and there he was… in the company of Lucius and Narcissa. The boy certainly looked a bit different than his usual scrawny, shabby self, but he looked more like James and Lily than ever before. He's gained weight, and he was without glasses, he looked very well dressed." Explained Peter, he had no trouble giving Dumbledore all this details for free, since the man would find out from the Weasley matron soon enough, he had seen _her _too, standing close by and glaring at Narcissa. _Jealous, no doubt, since she's shorter, older, fatter, and poorer than Narcissa._ He thought to himself with a smirk.

_I saw Molly yesterday, right after she picked up her kids…_ thought Dumbledore to himself, _wonder why she didn't say anything about this? _"Interesting…" he finally murmured, stroking his beard, acting as if the news wasn't that important.

Peter wasn't fooled, though, he knew Dumbledore was hoping that Harry was still, either unconscious, or at least, still beaten down from his time at the Dursleys. Peter didn't know much, but he knew enough, especially being Ron's _pet_ since it had given him access to gossip, and information that others weren't allowed to know. He had tried to sneak in to Slytherin dorms, but he knew from his own time at Hogwarts, that the dorms had ancient charms against uninvited guests, especially uninvited people in animagus forms.

"Well, that's all I gotta say for now… I'll be back at the same time next week, so have my payment ready… and in the meantime, I'll see about finding out some more information." Commented Peter, now getting ready to leave, for sure.

Dumbledore nodded in understanding, then he cocked his head, "won't you be missed?" he asked the short, fat man.

Peter snorted, "no at all, with the brat stuck at that mental hospital, I've been pretty much forgotten… but Molly does leave a bowl of food for me in the kitchen every day…. They just don't care where I am, as long as they know I'm still around. I just make sure I'm seen eating every morning and every night, and I'm fine…I guess they must assume I'm hiding out in a hole somewhere, or roaming the grounds around the house."

Dumbledore nodded in understanding, once again, "well, my boy," he commented with a smile, "don't let me keep you, then, we're both busy enough as it is."

Peter nodded and greeted the man, before turning back into a rat and leaving through a small hole hidden in the back of a bookcase.

Once Peter left, Dumbledore sighed and sat down heavily. Everything just seemed to be getting out of control lately, is it possible he made some mistakes when dealing with Harry Potter? No, it was the people that surrounded him that made the mistakes. They just never realized that whatever Dumbledore did was done for their own good and they should go along with it. Whenever things seemed to go wrong for Dumbledore, the source of it could always be traced back to someone who didn't do whatever Dumbledore had worked so hard to manipulate them into doing.

Sometimes he regretted having to trick his good friend Gellert; because Dumbledore had always agreed with the man when it came to manipulating others for the greater good. This was why he had taken so long before he finally interfered with his friend's plans. In the end, he had ambushed and betrayed, his best friend, and one time lover, simply because that was what the wizarding public had expected of him. That and, of course, the fact that Gellert had never agreed with wizards and witches having relations with muggles. Dumbledore felt that, on the contrary, purebloods should be forced to get married with muggles and muggleborns, so that they can cleanse their dark magic, and spread their power around.

Gellert had believed in isolationism, and had felt the only solution was to kidnap muggleborns as soon as it was found out that they had magic so that they could grow up where they belong. But Dumbledore never thought that it made sense in the long run, so he ambushed and betrayed the one person who Dumbledore could say had probably loved him. Of course, Dumbledore could never bring himself to kill the man, and he simply imprisoned him without saying anything to anyone. No one knows that Gellert is hidden away in a place that blocks him from using magic.

The point of this, for Dumbledore, was that Gellert would have been able to help him with this, maybe.

Dumbledore sighed again, _no use dwelling in the past… he can't help me now, not in the state he's in…_

Everything Dumbledore had been planning, had gone up in smoke. So many years of plans, so many long term goals, so many people sacrificed, and for what? For nothing, apparently. _Harry Potter came to Hogwarts, and thanks to me, he ended up befriending the exact people I didn't want him to befriend_, thought Dumbledore with a tired sigh. _There's only so many ways that the same plans can be manipulated for the current situation… and at some point,_ he added to himself while he summoned some firewhisky, _I'm going to have to make new plans… how can I achieve the same goals with new plans? Now that's the question…_ he thought while taking a sip of firewhisky.

His little talk with Ginny Weasley had ended up very well, he always knew he'd be able to use the girl Weasley for his plans, which was why he had asked Molly to read Ginny Boy-Who-Lived fairy tales every night. Dumbledore knew he'd be able to use Ginny to further, and fix, some of his plans. He'd also gotten word a while ago that Hermione Granger had been taken to Malfoy manor for recovery. It was a cause for concern, but in the end, it could also be something that he'd be able to use to further his own agenda. All it would take would be to wait for the next year of schooling. Harry and Hermione would be back by then, he was sure, and Ginny would be starting Hogwarts. He'd have another little talk with the girl before she starts, so he could be assured that his plans would come to fruition the way he wanted them.

Ronald might also be back by then, and without even needing to brainwash the boy, he knew the boy's nature would only help his plans with Ginny. Once Ginny got sorted, Ronald would act in his typical black and white fashion, and he'd help further Dumbledore's plans without Dumbledore himself needing to do anything. In fact, it was best that Ginny's sorting remained a secret until the fact. No one, except for maybe the girl's parents, could know what was going to happen, and this way, he could be assured the proper public outrage he'd expect from Ronald.

He'd also expect that Ronald wouldn't be quite right, mentally, once he was released in time for second year, simply because no one left cheap mental hospitals quite completely sane, ironically enough. Of course, he'd need to have a talk with the director of the hospital to make sure Ronald was released on time, no matter his mental state at the time.

* * *

Meanwhile, at a dark home near King's Cross station, Phineas was sitting on a chair in a big portrait of a sitting room. The painting was empty except for him, and Walburga, and they were both drinking tea and scones… well, drinking and eating wasn't really possible when they were in a portrait, but since it was painted in, they could touch it and go through the motions. Being such a high class family, they were used to it, really; for them, it was almost impossible to ignore the niceties that they had been brought up with.

"I find myself with a certain problem that I just need help in dealing with, my dear descendant." Commented Phineas to Walburga, as she went through the motions of taking a bite out of a scone. The piece she bit disappeared, but as soon as she would finish chewing and swallowing, the scone would be whole once more.

"Whatever can I do to help, grandfather? I'm afraid I must admit to a certain lack of power… so I'm unsure how much I can do for you." Walburga asked, as she daintily took her tea cup, between her long thin fingers.

"You have enough power for what I need. You can visit Malfoy manor, no? Where your niece, Narcissa, resides?" Phineas asked, finally abandoning the pretense of tea and scones with an almost sad sigh.

"Yes, actually…since we've spread out so much in the last few generations, we've made connecting portraits for several houses and manors." Answered Walburga, ignoring the scones that she couldn't taste, but still playing with the cup in her hands.

"I need you to act as a _messenger_ of sorts between me and Lucius Malfoy." Explained Phineas, "Dumbledore is doing a lot of things that he will need to know about if he wants to protect Harry Potter."

Walburga scoffed, "why would Lucius, a _pureblood_, want to protect the boy responsible for the destruction of our Lord? The son of a _mudblood_, even."

Phineas shook his head, almost as if in despair from her ignorance, "technically speaking, Harry Potter is a pureblood, after all, he _is_ the son of a wizard and a witch, right?"

Walburga hesitated, "I suppose you could look at it that way…" she murmured.

"Besides," added Phineas, "you don't really think it was the kid who's really responsible, do you? That's absurd."

Walburga now looked a little confused, and even more hesitant, because she had never really stopped to think about it too much; she had always been too despaired from the fact that her oldest son had redeemed himself a few years before she died. The fact that Sirius had finally seen the error of his ways, and had made up for it by giving up his traitorous friends to her Lord had made her blind to anything else.

"Explain yourself, please?" she asked her ancestor.

"Well," started Phineas, "think about it, first you have the fact that the Potters were blind followers of Dumbledore… then you have the fact that the Potters are an old wizard family. And finally, the girl James Potter married, however muggleborn, graduated top of her year from Hogwarts."

Walburga frowned, "where are you getting at with this?"

Phineas sighed, "where I'm getting at, is that it's possible that in between Dumbledore, and the Potters, they came up with a way to keep Harry Potter safe from the Dark Lord even if they were ever found."

Walburga hummed in thought, "well, that's one theory, I suppose."

"Even if…" explained Phineas further, "even if they didn't get help from Dumbledore, which is the most likely event, they still had access to some of the man's private collection of books. There's also the fact that the Potters have had Dark Wizards and Necromancers in the family, remember the Peverells, from which the famous story of the Three Brothers was based on? They were one of the last, and most famous Necromancers of the Potter family… and they acquired quite the collection of books on Dark _and _Black Magic."

Walburga thought about this for a few minutes, "I suppose with all this, it would be conceivable that they could have gone through some sort of ritual that allowed Harry Potter to live, with them dying as a sacrifice in their son's place…"

Phineas nodded slowly, happy that Walburga was finally getting it. "It's the most likely explanation… if the Dark Lord was tricked by Dumbledore into going after Harry Potter-"

Walburga interrupted him, "what do you mean _tricked_?" she asked.

"Well, I hear a lot of things at Hogwarts, my dear." He started explaining, "and I still remember," he continued, "the day that Professor, and I use that term lightly, Trelawney, came to Hogwarts for an interview. Dumbledore asked her a couple of questions, and then they disappeared into Dumbledore's protected office… I can't get into that one, I'm afraid… when they came out, Trelawney seemed to be acting odd… almost as if under a spell."

"Oh? What happened?" asked Walburga.

"Well, she left, and the next thing I hear is that she uttered a prophecy while Dumbledore was conducting an interview of her in a _pub_, of all places. And of course, it all came together for me. It was all arranged by Dumbledore… after all, the _real_ interview, which I was present for, took place in Dumbledore's office the day _before_ in which he took the woman to his most private office, and where he must have cast a spell on her…. Possibly even put her under the imperious curse."

Walburga was outraged, and then she gasped, "that must have been it! Oh, no, my poor son…"

Now Phineas frowned, "what are you referring to?" he asked.

"A few days before my poor son redeemed himself by revealing the location of the Potter's hiding place, I received a note from him." Explained Walburga, "in it, he said I was right, and that he was sorry. It was quite short, like it had been written in haste… and of course, a few days later, the Potter's were dead… the Dark Lord was dead… Harry Potter was declared a national hero… and my son was sent to prison for betraying those people to the Dark Lord…"

Walburga sighed at the memories that plagued her, and continued, "I always thought he must have finally realized that the Dark Lord had the right idea… but now… now I think he must have found out about Dumbledore's trickery, and the false prophecy, and how the old man put Sirius friend's in danger without a second thought, and he must have realized what we had known all along, that Dumbledore wasn't worth following."

Phineas narrowed his eyes, "I saw Peter at the Headmaster's office today." He said.

Walburga gasped, "what?"

"It was Peter, Sirius' other friend, who betrayed the Potters to the Dark Lord. That's what I was hoping you would say to Lucius Malfoy. Since the little rat is alive, they can capture him and free Sirius… it'd be helpful on all fronts, because Dumbledore is using Peter to spy." Explained Phineas to Walburga, while the woman still gasped in shock.

"No!" she exclaimed, "I will see to it at once! Thank goodness it's December 17, I know they will most likely spend the day at the Manor, as it's the custom after spending December 16 outside for most of the day… so I should be able to speak with them right away."

"Good. You should tell them that Dumbledore has been paying Peter to spy, and the man knows that Harry was awake, and he will, furthermore, most likely guess that Harry took part in the celebrations yesterday since, indeed, the boy was awake yesterday _and_ at the train station with Lucius and Narcissa." Added Phineas.

"Yes, the man might be old, and meddling… but he's certainly not stupid. He will easily be able to deduce the correct outcome for certain events, with what little information his spy might have garnered." Commented Walburga.

"Yes, quite. Well, I will tell you everything I find relevant, and you will go and inform Lucius of it, afterwards." Finished Phineas.

* * *

Meanwhile, back at Malfoy Manor, Harry was, once again, unconscious and with a Healer attending to him. Lucius sighed and resisted the urge to ruffle his own hair in frustration. "Any idea why he's like this?" he asked the MediWizard who was seeing to Harry. They had ended up having to bring in a pureblood MediWizard who had been at the party the night before, since everyone at the party had the secrecy oaths, and couldn't talk about it.

"Well," answered the MediWizard, "I can't be sure, unfortunately." He answered simply, before adding, "however, I do have a theory. I can detect an odd energy coming from the scar area… and the scar itself seems to be fading slightly."

Lucius frowned and leaned closer, he could almost feel something familiar when he was this close to the boy, but he wasn't sure what it was. "Yes, the scar is less prominent." He commented after a few seconds.

"Yes, well, considering the ritual he underwent and what he's supposed to have done to _get_ said scar… I can only guess, but I believe the ritual is interacting with the scar and the energy in it in some way. And I do believe he will wake up when… whatever it is that's going on… is over." Explained the MediWizard, before adding, "I can hazard to guess that he could wake up simply when the scar fades completely, which might happen when the energy is absorbed completely."

Lucius looked up at the MediWizard, "absorbed, you say?" he asked, his voice held an odd tone of voice, a cross between excitement, surprise, and fear.

"Yes, the energy from the scar area seems to be… freeing itself, and being absorbed by Mr. Potter's magic." Explained the MediWizard.

Lucius nodded slowly, "so, aside from that, everything seems… alright with Harry?" he asked, and the MediWizard nodded.

"Yes, yes, everything is just fine. I believe once the process of absorption is over, he'll wake up." Answered the MediWizard.

Lucius nodded in understanding, "any idea how long it will take?"

The MediWizard frowned in thought before casting a few simple detection spells on Harry, "well, based on the current rate of absorption, and the amount of energy left… I would say about a week."

"So, just in time for Christmas celebrations, then?" asked Lucius.

"Just so," answered the MediWizard witha slight smile, "I do believe he won't miss them."

Lucius nodded, "good, well, if that's all, then."

"Yes, there's nothing else you need from me. I would like, however if I could come back for a few minutes every day, just to check that the energy is still being absorbed at the same rate." Commented the MediWizard as he gathered his things back into his doctor's bag.

"That would be acceptable, be aware that you will still need to call ahead at least half an hour before coming." Answered Lucius as he started to lead the man to the entrance.

"Of course, Lord Malfoy, of course." He answered agreeably.

Then they shook hands and the man left.

Lucius went back to Harry's side and saw that Draco and Narcissa were both there. "Well, I'm sure you heard what the man said, even if I asked that we be left alone." He commented as he walked inside the room that had long been assigned as Harry's.

Narcissa was sitting on a chair next to Harry, and she had Harry's hand in between hers, and she was caressing him gently. Her eyes worried, and teary as she took in Harry's, seemingly sleeping, form.

Draco was on top of the bed, on the other side of Harry, sitting with his legs crossed and his back against the headboard, "of course we were listening, Harry's my best friend. And mom likes the bloke because he still allows her to dress him up…" he commented teasingly.

Narcissa smiled a little and continued caressing Harry's hand with her thumb.

Lucius sighed, "well, since you heard, you'll know it's not serious. Now go start on your homework, Draco, you want to be able to relax for the rest of the break, don't you? So I will not allow you to put it off any longer."

Draco sighed, annoyed, before huffing, and jumping from the bed and leaving slowly, "fine… but I'll be back to check on Harry later."

As soon as Draco was gone, Lucius locked the door, and charmed the room for privacy, before charming Harry's bed so the boy wouldn't hear what they talked about. Lucius knew the boy probably couldn't hear, since he was out of it, but it didn't hurt to be cautious.

Narcissa sniffed a little, and got up from her chair before walking over to the couch on the other side of the room, by the window, and sitting down on it to try and relax a little while her husband figured out how to tell her whatever it was he wanted to tell her.

"Narcissa… my dear…" finally started Lucius, "there are… certain things going on that I can't…. Talk about openly." He said, his voice low and careful.

Narcissa nodded, "I imagined… and I also imagine it has something to do with why Harry's scar looks a bit faded?" she asked rhetorically.

"I did want you to know, however, that this will not affect our plans, and Harry will still remain well looked after. In spite of the fact that, whatever it is that's exactly going on with Harry, will most certain affect our… grand plans… in some way, our smaller plans are still in effect. But… I do hope you understand why I can't go into details." Explained Lucius.

Narcissa nodded carefully, "I do understand what you're saying, Lucius. And, of course, I do understand why I can't have details."

What Lucius and Narcissa were referring to, of course, was the fact that while Lucius dealt with Dark Magic, and illegal, under-the-table deals, to further the pureblood agenda, Narcissa had to remain ignorant of all plans. If the worst were to happen, and Lucius got sent to prison due to his many illegal actions, then Narcissa had to remain free to care for Draco and the Malfoy fortune, along with the legal business dealings they have. Therefore, she had to remain untouchable by the law through ignorance of Lucius activities.

* * *

_Harry_ a voice whispered in Harry's mind, _Harry_ it repeated in a whisper. The voice traveling in Harry's mind like a thin, plastic, supermarket bag flying on the autumn streets. Harry tried to focus on something, anything, but there was just too much stuff flying around. He soon figured out that he must have passed out during the ritual, since he vaguely remembered a headache, and knowledge of things he never knew that he'd known before.

He heard a soft voice calling his name, and he thought he recognized the voice as belonging to Tom Riddle. _Tom Riddle is Voldemort_, he thought to himself vaguely, as he heard the voice call to him again, and he tried to ignore all other knowledge flying around him.

_That's right, Harry_, called out the same voice, _but there's more to this than you know… and there's too much information in your head right now for you to be able to understand what I know_ added Tom, _but you'll get it. In the meantime, try to relax._

Harry thought he'd had a bit of trouble relaxing, since there was so much stuff flying around him. It seemed right out of a cartoon, or a psychology textbook; words, images, and everything in between, literally flying all around him. He couldn't focus on any one thing, because there was too much of it, _ I need… isolation from this_ he thought, and at that moment, a door appeared right in front of him, so he opened it quickly and walked through, closing it behind himself. Now everything was dark and empty, Harry couldn't even see the ground or anything, since it was so dark.

Harry kept having to remind himself that he was in his own head, and everything was dark because he had wanted isolation from all those thoughts and knowledge. Now, though, Harry was thinking that he needed a way to figure out what the hell was going on with him, and what new knowledge was flying about in his head.

Just as he thought that, the darkness left, and in its place appeared an enormous library. It was filled to the brim with books, and Harry was impressed. _If this is all in my head, then I'm impressed with myself._ He thought, as he walked over to the front of the room, where an old looking book sat open on top of a desk.

Harry sat on the chair that had appeared in front of the desk, and looked at the book. It had writing on it and everything. He closed it, as it had been opened right at the middle of it, and he saw the title. _What Happened To Henry "Harry" Potter. _

_That's handy, _he thought, with a smirk on his face. He opened the book again, and started reading. Some time later, it could have been hours or days, Harry finished the book and sighed in thought. "So I had a piece of Voldemort's soul stuck to me, and now it's been absorbed by me… in a matter of speaking, since I gained all the knowledge from it, and my magic stopped fighting it. It's not a true absorption, but it might as well have been, since I gained all the knowledge that this particular piece of his soul had."

"That's right, Harry." Said Tom appearing in front of Harry, on the other side of the small desk.

Harry was slightly startled, he hadn't seen Tom since he realized that the boy was also Voldemort.

Tom smiled, "I decided to risk appearing before you once more, now that you've read the book, and have copies of my memories, you must be aware of the truth, right?"

Harry sighed, and another chair appeared, which Tom used to sit on, right across from Harry. "Yes," Harry said, "I'm aware of the truth now." He added, thinking about it, "I know what happened to you." He said, and as he said it, the library faded away, and another place, a memory, took its place.

In the memory, Tom and Harry saw an older Tom walking towards Hogwarts, with Dumbledore walking next to him. "Let's take the interview to my office, Tom." They heard Dumbledore say, and Tom smiled happily, walking a little faster, as if excited.

"As you know, Headmaster," said the Tom walking next to Dumbledore, "for the last few years I was traveling the world, learning defensive magic, and working to get my mastery in Defense Against The Dark Arts."

Dumbledore chuckled, as they walked through the hallways towards the man's office, "oh, I know my boy, I know. And you were always such a good student, too, so good at Defense, _and_ Offense, which is why I called you right away when I received your application for the recently vacated teaching post. I'm giving you first chance at it, you know?"

Tom smiled happily, he could already see the gargoyle that guards the entrance to the Headmasters office, "oh, I know, Headmaster, and you have no idea how much it means to me. Hogwarts has always been like a second home to me."

Dumbledore's eyes glinted dangerously as they walked into his office, the man conjured some tea and scones, and served a set for the both of them as they sat down.

Tom looked around the office and noticed all the portraits had their back to the office. "What's up with the portraits, Headmaster?"

"Oh, they're having one of their weird days… I think it's a malfunction. But please, drink some tea." Commented Dumbledore, as he pushed a tea cup towards Tom, who took it and drank it without a thought.

Suddenly, Tom realized there was something wrong, _I can't stop drinking the tea_, he thought to himself, as he gulped down the whole cup in one go; his mouth and throat burning something fierce, but he couldn't stop drinking the tea no matter how much his mouth and throat were burning. Tom threw the cup to the floor when he finished drinking the whole thing, it shattered. Then he jumped from his chair, and had to hold on to the side of the desk as the world started spinning out of control.

Dumbledore started cackling like a madman, but Tom couldn't question the man, as his vision started to darken, before passing out. The last thing Tom saw and heard, was Dumbledore's ugly face, contorted with evil and pleasure, still cackling loudly, as Tom finally succumbed to darkness.

The memory faded, everything around Tom and Harry faded to darkness, before they were back in the library from before. When Harry looked at Tom he noticed that Tom had reverted to looking like a child once more. It seemed that depending on how Tom was feeling, he would look older or younger. Now he looked no older than 6 years old.

"Tom," Harry whispered, and walked closer to the boy, "I'm sorry you had to relive that."

Tom shook his head, "it's alright… not your fault." Tom sniffed, and rubbed his face before climbing on the chair, that was now almost too big for him.

"I remember living that… by then I had already done my first Horcrux, so I'm not claiming to be a total victim here…" said Tom, and as he spoke, he started getting older until he looked like a teenager, a few years older than Harry. Then he continued speaking, "but, still… I wasn't expecting Dumbledore to do something like that to me… when I finally woke up… it took me a while to realize that I was trapped in my head."

Harry sighed sadly, as he stood next to Tom, who was now taller than him, even sitting as he was. "Dumbledore purposely created the evil demented bastard that we've all come to know from Voldemort."

Tom smirked, almost sadly, yet somewhat amused, "yes… he did. My guess is he found out about my original plans, and decided to mess them up in the worst way possible. So, in a way, it's Dumbledore who's responsible who the death of so many innocent people."

"Including my parents?" asked Harry, looking at the ground.

Tom sighed and shook his head slowly, "I don't know, Harry… there was a prophecy.. I don't know if I would have gone after you or not if I had been in my right mind… that's something, I'm afraid, to which even _I_ don't know the answer to… at least not yet…"

Harry sighed, "either way, it's Dumbledore who's most responsible…"

Tom nodded, "yes.. In my original plans, I wanted to create a wannabe Dark Lord who would incite fear and panic, without any outright terrorism. I didn't want to _be_ the Dark Lord everyone feared, I just wanted to incite fear, without people knowing who I was, or what I looked like, so that it'd be easier for me to climb the political ladder."

Harry smiled a little, "so, you wanted to secretly burn down a family home, while the family was gone, and then show up and say you knew how to fix it like nothing ever happened?" asked Harry, trying to understand what it was exactly that Tom Riddle had been planning.

"Basically…" Tom shrugged, agreeing with Harry, then continued, "the Dark Lord would create a need that later I would show up to fulfill." Explained Tom, his voice sad, and tragic as he thought of how everything ended. "I never meant for so many people to die, but that day in Dumbledore's office, the man _made_ me into the maniacal, evil, Dark Lord that I had made up… locking any sanity I had inside my head. Unreachable…. And the part of me that _knew_ what Dumbledore had done, was locked inside and couldn't reach the _outside_ part of me… the part that had become the Dark Lord."

Harry was distraught by everything that he learned from Tom. Harry knew it was true, because as Tom spoke to Harry about it, Harry himself learned it from the memories he had gotten from Tom. Harry trusted Tom because Harry had all of Tom's memories; and Tom had gone crazy because of Dumbledore, or rather, Tom had been _made_ crazy by Dumbledore. Which made Harry wonder, _why would Dumbledore do that?_ Harry had thought to himself, but he couldn't come up with an answer.

Tom was rather confused about the whole thing, too. The only thing that Tom could come up with was that Dumbledore missed the limelight. By the time Dumbledore made Tom crazy, Dumbledore had been basically forgotten by the Wizarding Populace, simple because the man had several positions of power, but everything he did was behind closed doors, and he was never in the papers, because nothing of interest had happened in the government since Dumbledore had _defeated_ Grindelwald.

"That's too awful to consider!" exclaimed Harry, "He created a murderous villain with absolutely no remorse or conscience simply because he finds the current world _boring_, or because he wants to be in the _papers_?"

"I know, Harry, believe me. I have the memories of watching myself doing awful things, _and _the memories of _doing_ awful things. It's very confusing for me… and I still don't know what all Dumbledore did to me, exactly." Commented Tom in response.

"So what, he made you go insane because he knew you'd start killing everyone and everything in your path? And what, he wanted the public to look to him for help, like they did when he defeated Grindelwald?" asked Harry.

Tom and Harry had talked a lot with which other, and Tom had finally confided in Harry with a lot of things. He hadn't told Harry everything, though, but now that Harry had Tom's memories, as they talked, Harry felt the right memory and the right information simply go into his conscious mind. He didn't know everything, because that was too much information to learn all at once, and Tom had helped him by trapping most of the information behind barriers, which took the place of books, whenever Harry wanted to learn something from the memories he had gotten from Tom, all he had to do was look for the right book.

Harry wanted to be outraged, but he couldn't, simply because as soon as he thought he might have a reason to be angry, he simply learned from Tom's memories and he'd learn a reason why his anger wasn't justified. Mostly, the reason that Harry could sort of accept things right now was because the book he had just gotten through reading, before Tom appeared, explained a lot of things, without going over it in too much detail. So Harry had learned enough to know that Tom had a very reasonable excuse for everything he had done.

Tom still believed in most of the basic ideas he had been fighting for as Voldemort, but the insanity, and murderous rage, that Dumbledore had planted in him had made him incapable of doing things in the right way.

"Alright, that's enough, Harry." Said Tom suddenly, as Harry was about to walk over and grab another book.

"What?" asked Harry, confused.

Tom sighed, "it's too much information, Harry, and it takes real time to learn it all. You need to rest your head and do something else now." Explained Tom, "after all," he added, "you are still unconscious from the ritual."

Harry's eyes widened, "that's right.. I had forgotten…" he said, then he sighed and went back to the desk, "I suppose I need some time to process what I _have_ learned right now, before I keep reading more… it's so weird, though, that I have all your knowledge in book form in my head…" he chuckled a little, and Tom joined him in amusement.

"Yes, well…" commented Tom, "it's in book form because it represents the easier form for you to keep the information without letting it overwhelm you."

"Could you explain it to me some more? I'm still a little confused about all this…" asked Harry, trailing off.

"Well, right now all the information you gained from me is hidden behind a type of Occlumency barrier, which in your case, takes the form of a library. Now Occlumency is the art of magically defending your mind against external penetration, and it's a defense against Legilimency, which is the art of magically attacking someone's mind.

"The information you gained from me was actually acquired though a type of legilimency, since my mind, while it is inside you, is still my own. However, so much information would overwhelm you, and possibly leave you in a coma indefinitely, so your own mind protected itself by creating barriers in your minds to protect the information you gained and still allow you the opportunity to learn it at your own pace." Tom finished his lengthy explanation and took an unnecessary breath.

Harry winced, suddenly, and he looked both pained and confused. "What's going on with me?"

Tom's eyes widened in understanding and he chuckled, "it's a headache, Harry, from too much information all at once." He explained.

"Headache?" asked Harry, "but my whole body hurts…" he added confused, and still pained.

Tom shook his head, "no, it doesn't, it's just your head… thing is, you're unconscious, which means you are _in_ your own head right now, so to your… virtual representation of yourself, it feels like it's your whole body… but…" he trailed off then chuckled once more, "don't think about it too much, or you'll make it worse on yourself."

"Oh, suddenly I feel better…" murmured Harry, looking relieved and trailing off.

Tom smiled, "of course, someone's taking care of you, Harry. It must be a Medi-Wizard or either of the Malfoy's… they must have cast a headache relieving charm on you or given you a headache relieving potion."

"Wicked." Said Harry sitting at the desk, and smiling.

"It's actually part of what I was telling you, Harry. While you're unconscious, there'll be someone taking care of your needs… feeding you, giving you medicine, making sure you don't pee on yourself…" Tom said, trailing off and laughing when Harry pulled a face at the last part.

"But seriously, Harry," Tom continued, "you can learn as long as you're unconscious because you don't have to wake up for eating and other things. But once you're awake it'll be different, you can access this room while you're meditating or sleeping, and learn from the books, but you'll need to stop every once in a while to eat and bathe, and etcetera…if you were to stay here too long without waking, or having someone taking care of you, you could die from dehydration. I wouldn't recommend doing this while you're sleeping, though, at least not very often, because it interferes with normal dreams… you know, the muggles have it right, you're supposed to deal with your issues while asleep, so you don't bring them into your waking life…. It's why the dreamless sleep potion can't be used more than twice in a row per week… it's not really addictive, but it does affect your mind." He explained, crossing his arms, and looking around the huge library that contained all his knowledge.

Suddenly, everything went dark as Harry was given a dreamless sleep potion, causing Harry to go deeper into his subconscious, and everything to disappear. Soon, Harry was floating in darkness, calm, and not even thinking about anything.

* * *

"There," said Lucius, "now he's not dreaming anything."

Narcissa sighed in relief, "good, he seemed… distressed, now he's peaceful."

"Yes, his mind needs to rest for a while." Commented Lucius, "since we're not sure what exactly is going on in there… it's prudent to leave him _thoughtless_, so to say, for a couple of hours…"

Narcissa nodded in agreement and grasped her hands together, "the Medi-Wizard tried to read his mind?"

Lucius sighed, and resisted the urge to rub his head, "yes… but, for some reason, there seems to be a barrier preventing access…"

"Well," said Narcissa, after some thought, "the ritual isn't meant to _harm_… just give knowledge, and given who he is… obviously, the ritual must have reacted in an unexpected way with… whatever the reason for his scar is…"

"We won't know anything until he wakes up… which could be anytime today, and up to a month… so, we'll need to be patient, here…" said Lucius.

"Oh, I do hope he wakes up soon! It'd be such a shame if he missed his first wizarding yule celebration! Or _christmas_, as the ministry has been forced to officially start calling it…." Commented Narcissa, trailing off with a bitter tone of voice.

Lucius sighed, "not now, Narcissa… please, don't start with that again." He said, his tone almost tired.

"But it irritates me, Lucius! I can understand changing _some_ things, modifying some of the minor habits of our culture, but… this _people_, they come to our world, and immediately start trying to change things without even learning why we do the things we do!" she exclaimed, her muscles tight with anger.

Lucius simply sighed, "I sympathize, I do. Or did you forget that one of my most important jobs is to use the Malfoy money and influence to stop, or change back, much of what Dumbledore tries to do and modify?" he answered her, his voice low, his tone strong. Then he added, "however, now is _not_ the right time, dear." He said gently, motioning with his hand to Harry, who was looking quite calm, now, in his sleep.

Narcissa took a short, deep breath and closed her eyes for a second, "I forgot myself… you're right." She finally said, with a tiny smile that was only there to give her face something to do other than look frustrated and angry.

Lucius gave her a simple nod of approval, because even in private, she had to control her reactions to things she feels strongly about. It would not do for her to react that strongly in a public setting, and give their political enemies something to use against them. The perfect Slytherin was the one who didn't react to anything, especially things they felt strongly about, and then did something on the sidelines to change things in favor of their preferred side.

"Now, I have things to do in my office… you do what you have to do… check on Draco, make sure he, at least, does _part_ of his homework today?" asked Lucius, before walking out of the room and going to his office.

Narcissa was left behind, rolling her eyes, and crossing her arms in a huff. Lucius always got on her nerves when it came to poor Draco. Narcissa felt that, sometimes, her husband was too hard on Draco, especially when it came to school. She _did_ understand _some_ of his goals, which was what they were now trying to do with Harry, which was get to him to learn what's taught at Hogwarts _faster_ than it's taught at Hogwarts. Which left more hours, more time, for him to learn other types of magic… and eventually, as he grew older, it would make him more powerful, and leave him more free time to dedicate to political maneuvering and learning how to manage any family businesses, and household stuff pertaining to the family in question. Inside stuff, like problems family members might have with other family members, or how to deal with requests from family members. It was all necessary for someone who was destined to become the head of the household, which both Draco, and Harry, being only children, were destined to be.

Narcissa understood the responsibilities that came with being someone like Lucius, or being someone who was meant to become a man like Lucius, the head of a powerful family with lots of gold and influence. Narcissa herself came from such a family, and she, along with her sisters, had been groomed to _understand_ what her future husband would have to go through. So, while she would never actually need to _use_ any of that knowledge, she still needed to know the basics of what needed to be done.

Lucius had been raised in much the same way that he was raising Draco.

Narcissa was still lost in her thoughts when she heard a female voice calling to her from somewhere. "_Psst!_" it called, _that's odd…._ Thought Narcissa, looking around, and it was then that she spotted the source of the voice calling her, "aunt Walburga?" she asked, confused, since it was the first time in a long while that she had received a visit from this particular woman's portrait.

"Meet me in the hallway." Said Narcissa, as she turned for a second to stare at a still sleeping Harry, before walking outside.

"What's going on?" Narcissa asked once they were safely in the hallway, without risk of disturbing Harry.

"We need to talk, my dear niece." She said, getting straight to the point, "I just received a visit from my grandfather, Phineas." She said, and Narcissa raised an eyebrow,in curiosity. Walburga continued, "he came straight from Hogwarts, and there's some things he's been hearing… some… peculiar things that you need to know. Both you, _and_ Lucius… it's… in regards to Harry Potter." She finished carefully.

Narcissa was startled to hear those words and reacted after a few seconds, "my husband is in his study, you know how to get there?" she asked, almost in a hurry.

Walburga nodded, and Narcissa wasted no time in walking away, "meet you there, then." She commented, as she walked away in a hurry. She was anxious to know what her aunt could possibly have to tell them. She looked odd as she had said there were things she had to tell them, and she came, most likely, after being directed by Phineas Black, who spent his time in the Headmaster's office, so, it should be fascinating to know what the man had heard about Harry.

Narcissa knocked on Lucius study door and waited until she heard her husband's voice telling her to come in. Part of Narcissa's job to remain ignorant of her husband's illegal dealings is to make sure she knocks before going inside a place that's just for him, like his study; this way, if he's doing something illegal, he can stop and hide whatever it is, so Narcissa can still remain ignorant.

"Come in." Said Lucius, after putting away some paperwork given to him by some Ministry contacts. Lucius was very close to being able to convince some of the more passionate members of the unofficial _Albus Dumbledore Fan Club_ that the man was, at the very least, senile, and not worth following anymore.

Regardless of the fact that the Minister and the Head of the DMLE were finally on his side when it concerned Dumbledore, at least, in Amelia's case, because it also involved Harry Potter, who was a minor, and the son of her old schoolmate, Lily Evans; the public at large, would still be harder to convince, especially if there were still members of the Ministry who would follow and support Dumbledore loudly.

The fact of the matter was that one couldn't just go after Albus Dumbledore without first quietly gathering lots of proof against the man, _and_ convincing some of his more powerful supporters with said proof. Of course, a smear campaign could easily be started against him, but anything said against him, at this point in time, wouldn't cause much long term damage.

Lucius wanted to permanently cripple the man's standing, and to do that, he had to quietly work behind the scenes for a long while, before bringing anything to the papers, and eventually, court. Rita Skeeter, of course, had been brought into the whole campaign, but she had been sworn to secrecy until such time as they allowed her to write about it. When the woman had went over all the files of evidence at their disposal, she smelled that this would be one of the biggest stories in her career, and she had eagerly accepted making a magical vow to keep her silent.

Rita had quite the reputation with the British wizarding public. And considering that most of the things she wrote about were either exaggerated, modified for her convenience, or completely made up, it was quite impressive, and Lucius couldn't wait to see what she would write, if she were given access to complete, and truthful, information.

Narcissa now walked inside, temporarily interrupting Lucius train of thoughts, and he noticed that she looked quite serious.

"Lucius, darling, my aunt Walburga is here to talk to us about something important." She said, as she walked closer to his desk.

A while later, Lucius was once again on his own in his office, but this time, he was quite shocked and confused. There were so many things he would have to do now, his plans changed so many times lately, and now with all the information that Walburga had heard from Phineas, things were turning out to be much more convoluted than he had at first known.

Still, in the long run, things would be much better for him and his peers with this new information at his disposal.

Walburga had first mentioned the prophecy, which Lucius vaguely knew about due to his Lord and Severus mentioning it to him. It was supposedly a prophecy that foretold of his Lord's destruction at the hands of a child, a child which turned out to be Harry Potter, and a prophecy which, at first, seemed to have come true a lot sooner than everyone would have expected.

But then after his Lord had disappeared, the Goblins of Gringotts had approached him with an object that had, apparently, been left for him in a will by his Lord. The Will had said that in case of his disappearance, or supposed death, the Goblins would give the object, an empty journal, to Lucius Malfoy, and Lucius was supposed to ensure that it found its way into the hands of a young magical child no older than 12 years of age.

The Will, or letter of instruction, really, explained that if properly handled, it could aid in his Lord's return. It could not be given to a child from _their_ side, the letter explained, because the journal would, in order to bring back his Lord, basically suck out the child magic and life force, and the child would die. Lucius had been utterly confused, of course, but he had kept the journal in a safe place at the manor, and proceeded to figure out when it would be best to use it and to whom to give it to.

Now Lucius had a muggleborn at his disposal, she would be the perfect candidate for the journal. As long as the girl recovered enough to be able to go back to Hogwarts for the following year. Although, another good candidate would be Ginny Weasley, the youngest Weasley, who would be starting Hogwarts the following year. He would have to think about it, because he had several options to chose from.

In the meantime, what Walburga had said was quite shocking to him. Apparently, the prophecy had been faked. So his Lord had been defeated due to a fake prophecy…. Which, of course, left him wondering how exactly, his Lord had been defeated if the prophecy was a fake. It also meant, of course, that Harry Potter, was still powerful and important, wasn't a so-called _prophecy child_, simply because there was no prophecy.

_Or was there?_ Thought Lucius to himself. If Dumbledore had faked a prophecy, it was possible he had done so to hide the existence of another prophecy. Maybe if there _was_ a prophecy that he had been trying to hide or cancel out, it involved Harry and his Lord in some way, and it, perhaps, spelled _Dumbledore's_ defeat at the hands of either one or both, Harry _and _his Lord. It would certainly explain why Dumbledore had gone through the trouble of potentially using an illegal spell and faking a prophecy.

Lucius had certainly grown fond of Harry, so he was glad that the boy would pose no threat to their side. If the prophecy was a fake, then it was a relief that he no longer had to worry about the danger the boy could potentially become in the future. Because prophecy's are fickle things, and who ever knew _what_ would cause a prophecy to come true. It would be almost like knowing you were going to die in an accident, and then the precautions you took to prevent the accident ended up _causing_ the accident. But then you would be left wondering if maybe knowing or _not_ knowing was the best thing.

The troublesome thing about visions and prophecy's was that you never really knew.

Another thing that shocked him from what Walburga told them, was that Dumbledore was using Peter Pettigrew as a spy. This meant that the man _definitely_ knew that Sirius Black was not guilty, and this meant that now _they_ knew, which, of course, meant that Narcissa immediately insisted that he start using his contacts to ensure Sirius is released.

For Narcissa, this was quite important, because the man had been named Head of the Black family. And since he was never apparently convicted of anything, the man, even while in Azkaban, was still the Head of the Black family. The family was now stagnant because its Head wasn't there to further the family fortune, or take care of business, or even see to simple family problems. It was always the Head who was supposed to take care of things of that nature, and Narcissa couldn't really do anything about it. It was simply heartbreaking for the woman that her ancient and noble family name was running stagnant because its Head was wrongfully imprisoned and never convicted.

So now, Lucius had several things to take care of. He wasn't sure yet how to approach the whole Sirius Black deal, and he wasn't exactly of the implications of everything else he had been told. Albus was very careful about the things he did, and the only thing he had been careless with was allowing Peter Pettigrew entrance into his office, without taking him into his most private office. If Peter had simply gone into Dumbledore's most private office, instead of the main public one, Phineas never would have found out.

_What to do… what to do…_ thought Lucius, as he paced his office. Then it came to him, Phineas had mentioned Albus paying Peter, _but where would he get the money from? _ He thought as he rubbed his chin with his right hand. Then it came to him, _of course! The man still has access to Harry's accounts illegally!_ He thought with a start, _which means… my next stop is… Gringotts._

_

* * *

_

Meanwhile, Dumbledore walked into his office and frowned, _something seems… different…_ he thought, curious and only slightly tense. It was then that he noticed movement, and he turned sharply towards where he saw it. It was Phineas Nigellus Black's portrait, and the man was walking calmly back into the portrait and settling into his throne-like chair with a smug smile on his lips. The blasted snake that was always with him hissed, as if laughing at him, as it settled around Phineas' shoulders.

"And just where have _you_ been, Black?" he asked sharply, his face twisted in a frown.

Phineas simply kept his smug smile on his face and he tapped his fingers against the arm of the chair. "Just around, you know… it gets boring here simply looking at _you_ all the time… having to listen to all your conversations in detail…" he trailed off, feeling completely satisfied at the dawning horror in Dumbledore's face.

Then he continued, "as you know, I'm more powerful than the other portraits, so I just decided to pay a visit to my dear granddaughter, Walburga, you know? And of course, I just _had _to tell her to send my best to her niece, Narcissa."

Dumbledore was thinking to himself, _is this what a heart attack feels like?_ While he finally simply plopped on the visitors chair, suddenly exhausted. _I think I just accidentally gave Lucius Malfoy ammunition against me… blasted dog is going to be free in no time! So even if the Malfoy's don't get custody of Harry… Sirius has priority… and when they discover he was illegally imprisoned… they'll fall over themselves to please him… especially considering how much power the Head of an Ancient family always has… blast it!_

"You're lying, you bloody portrait!" exclaimed Dumbledore, "Hogwarts portraits are _always_ faithful to the school and the current Headmaster! So you couldn't possibly have talked to anyone about anything going on _here_, especially what I do in my own office!"

Phineas laughed a loud and cold laugh, then he trailed off slowly, and chuckled, "I suppose we shall see, then. If you're so confident, then why are you so angry?"

Dumbledore growled, and blasted his way out the office, with two destinations in mind, Gringotts and the Ministry of Magic.

**End Of Chapter~**

**Chiyoku says:** ooh, are Dumbledore and Lucius going to run into each other? Are you as excited as I am that the Black family portraits have an actual important role?

I'm hoping I'll find an excuse, once Sirius is free, for Dumbledore to force Sirius to accept the Weasley's into his home, just so I can give Sirius a pair and have him put the bint throwing away all his expensive, and ancient family legacy in her place! (Is anyone as annoyed as I am that Molly went into Grimmauld place and just started throwing everything away and started treating the place as if it belonged to her? And Sirius never said anything! I know it's got nothing to do with my story, but I keep thinking about that and it just…-pisses- me off something fierce.)

Anyways, hope you liked this chapter! Please **review**! Thanks!

And thanks to everyone who **reviewed** last chapter and I hope this chapter answered most of your questions?

See you next time!


	18. Chapter 18

**Chiyuoku says: **Hi, everyone! I know, it's been an eternity. Truth be told, I just haven't felt like writing. Why make excuses, right? The important thing is that I'm finally updating. Because what I said was the truth, I'm never abandoning this story. It might take me a while to update, but I'll never completely stop. By the time I finish, it'll probably be epically long, though. Maybe 100 chapters, with how long it takes me to actually go through each day. But who knows. The characters themselves dictate what they wanna do, I just write it.

Thanks for all the reviews! It inspires me and pushes me actually finish each chapter. Every time I receive a review, I remember that I have a story waiting for me to finish it, and people who are waiting for another chapter. Sometimes readers review in a way that make me see my own story differently, and they make me excited about it as if I was just another reader. (They also help me see flaws that I need to work on, which, as long as it's not written in a hateful way, also help).

**Enjoy!**

**Alternation Nation**

**A fanfiction by Chiyoku Shibata**

_**Recap: **__Albus has a meeting with Peter Pettigrew in his office, to which the portrait of Phineas Black is a witness. Phineas goes to see the portrait of Walburga Black at Grimmauld Place, who then goes to the Malfoys. Meanwhile, Harry is absorbing the horcrux, which means, amongst other things, that he gets all of Tom Riddle's memories and knowledge up to the point the horcrux was made. Harry and Tom have an enlightening chat._

**Chapter 18: Yes, It's still December 17: Plots and Plans (in which Dumbledore might finally get the upper hand)**

Lucius Malfoy had been keeping in contact with the Goblins at Gringotts for some time now. He had first contacted them, outside of normal circumstances, and told them about some possible irregularities with the accounts of the Potter Heir. The Golbins, without informing Lucius of their finds at first, had gone over all the paperwork, and activities, from about a month before the death of the Potter Heir's parents. After they had gone over everything, they had contacted Lucius and informed him that they had, indeed, found many irregularities, and outright illegal activity in all the accounts, including the Heirlooms vault, which wasn't even supposed to become activated and available for usage, until after Harry Potter presented himself in person to the Bank.

Lucius had been outraged when he had been informed of all this, and he had immediately demanded that, first and foremost, they find out who, of the Goblins, had allowed all this to be done. After said Goblins had been found and questioned, they had been tortured severely by the rights of the Goblin Court Justice System. Messing with an inheritance in such a manner was reprehensible, and unforgivable, in the Goblins' minds.

Afterwards, they had done an inventory of what had been taken, and whom it had been given to. Also, how much money had been used, and what for; some of the money had been transfered to different accounts, and they had been systematically going over everything, and making a note of it.

Under the advisement of Lucius and his associates, the Goblins had left the accounts as they were, but with a warning for the Goblins themselves that said accounts and vaults were under investigation, and its owners suspected of illegal activities. It meant that every time someone came and used certain accounts and vaults, it would be written in a ledger that would later be used in the Wizard Court against them.

Lucius knew there was a problem, because as soon as he walked up to the nearest teller and asked for the Potter accountant, he got ushered to a back room quickly and quietly.

"Gorkob," greeted Lucius, with a slight worried frown as he sat down in the Potter Accountant's office, "what's going on?"

Gorkob Madfang had taken over for the last Potter accountant. It had been a big promotion for him, and he was proud of it. Dumbledore had been worried when the usual accountant was missing, but since Gorkob was supposed to pretend he had no clue about Dumbledore's lies, the man's worries had faded fast, and business had gone on as usual.

But now Gorkob was very worried, and with good reason. "The parchment has stopped giving us readings." He said in answer to Lucius' question.

"What?" asked Lucius, confused, and worried.

"Dumbledore was here not even 5 minutes ago, I'm surprised you didn't cross him on the way… he looked very pleased with himself, and took with him a large pile of gold along with a few books and objects of value." Explained Gorkob, "but when I checked the parchment after the man had left… I noticed it hadn't registered anything!"

Lucius huffed in anger, "that parchment is supposed to register illegal account activity! Why didn't it register anything? Did it stop working?"

"No, it's working as well as usual. Which means…Dumbledore must have found a way to legalize what he's doing. Magic isn't registering any deceit anymore, at least, not the parchment anyways. I have others right now checking some other venues of deceit, and we'll see if they come up with anything." Explained Gorkob.

"So, what do we do, then?" asked Lucius.

"For now, there's nothing much we can do… It'll take at least a few hours to do a quick check, and a few days to do a more thorough check. We need to figure out how Dumbledore managed to fool Magic. But at least, everything he did before… and it's a lot… still registers as illegal. So whatever he did to fool Magic, only applies to anything new he does from today on, and it doesn't change the illegality of his past acts… we can still get him on that, however…" trailed off Gorkob, his voice worried.

"If what he did today isn't registering as illegal, it must mean he found a way to become Harry's guardian… and even if he did illegal things before, he could easily confuse the public into believing that he never did anything wrong in the first place… that it was just a misunderstanding." Said Lucius, continuing with Gorkob's thoughts.

"Exactly, so we need to find out how his activities are suddenly legal, we need to know so we can protect against it." Said Gorkob.

Lucius agreed, "it's possible he did a ritual, and if so, we need to find out what ritual it was… maybe it was something illegal, or dark? It could help us in our endeavors against him."

"Wouldn't he need to get some of Mr. Potter's blood for a ritual that grants him legality against the Potter accounts?" asked Gorkob.

"Yes, he would… and the only time I can think of that he could have gotten some of Harry's blood would be right before I went to get him. Harry was unconscious in the infirmary, and when I walked in, Dumbledore was alone with him. It's likely he took some blood, then. This is going to be problematic…" answered Lucius, frowning in worry.

"We can still recover all the gold and objects that were taken before today, however." Commented Gorkob, thinking of ways to try to fix things.

"Yes, let's do that right away, before Dumbledore has a chance to announce his guardianship of Harry." Said Lucius, "either way," he added, "I can still prevent him from taking guardianship, or from keeping the gold and objects he took today, since the documents given to me by the Ministry gives me temporary guardianship of Harry. Which means, Dumbledore might be smart enough to fool Magic, but legally, under the eyes of the Ministry, he still committed illegal acts today."

Gorkob narrowed his eyes, "yes, that is true enough; even if he managed to fool _us_, he still can't fool the wizard law."

"So, what did he take, anyways?" asked Lucius, as Gorkob started making notes and looking for the documents that listed everything that had been taken since the death of Lily and James Potter.

* * *

Dumbledore hid behind a column as he saw Lucius walk inside the bank, and he smirked, as the man didn't see him. Normally, he wouldn't hide; however, he needed time to get a couple of things done while Lucius stayed out of the way. He wasn't sure if Lucius had come to do business in regards to the Malfoy vaults or he was coming to check out the Potter vaults, either way, he would have precious minutes with which to work.

Thanks to the ritual he had performed, everything he had taken today was his now. Because the ritual, which had been done with a bit of blood stolen from Harry right before Lucius had made it to the Hospital Wing, allowed him to fool some guardianship documents that he had acquired with the help of some allies inside the Ministry.

Now, all he had to do, was present the parchments to the Ministry, and then he'd go to the Prophet to give an exclusive on how afraid he was for little Harry. He'd pay them to make it a front page article in tomorrow's edition of the Prophet, and the Ministry would have no choice but to give him custody of Harry Potter.

Albus was no fool; he knew the idiots at the Ministry were attempting to gather evidence against him. And even considering the fact that Lucius had used an "investigation" excuse to take Harry away from Hogwarts, the fact that they hadn't come forward with the evidence yet, told him that they probably had very little, and most of it circumstantial. It would have been enough to officially excuse an investigation; however, if he made the first move, whatever evidence they eventually came out with would lose some of its strength, regardless of how accurate it might be, or how "official" their investigation is.

Whoever made the first move would have the upper hand. Thankfully, most of the recent articles in the Prophet hadn't actually attacked him directly. As far as the Troll was concerned, he could simply say that the students had jumped the wand, so to speak, and that he had been preparing a statement on the occurrence, to be released to the Prophet for publication, but he had wanted to inform the parents in personal letters first, and he had been too busy investigating and doing his best to protect the school.

First stop for Albus was the Ministry, he strolled in, bypassing the Wand Check Desk, and going straight to the DHEE (Department Heads Express Elevator) which was only for use for Department Heads, therefore Albus wasn't supposed to have the code that allowed for the use of said Elevator, except for the fact that Albus was close friends with a couple of Heads, including Arthur, who had most recently been made Head of the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office. He still earns less than half than what other Heads earn, simply because his department is much smaller than others, and has less people. But he is earning a bit more than he was before.

Suddenly, Dumbledore stopped short, in his haste, he had forgotten something important. _Sirius! Of course!_ He thought to himself, _I can't take custody of Harry, because I have to free Sirius. I know Lucius will do his best to free him, so if I free him first, then I can control him, and through him, I can still control Harry, anyways, so it'll be just as good as having custody of Harry myself. _Thought Dumbledore, as he changed directions and made his way to the DMLE.

"I need to speak to Amelia immediately!" demanded Dumbledore to Amelia Bones' secretary.

"What's this about, Albus?" asked Amelia as she crossed her arms, and sat back on her chair.

"Peter Pettigrew is still alive! He was the Potter's secret keeper, not Sirius Black." He said, his voice angry, and loud.

"what?" exclaimed Amelia, standing up fast.

"I know because I remember now performing the magic myself." Explained Dumbledore as he sat down slowly, and heavily, as if exhausted and depressed. "It seems that, even someone as powerful, and wise as me can make mistakes. Peter caught me unawares and cast a dark charm on me to prevent me from remembering that it was him that was named Secret Keeper. He came to me after Sirius was caught. I was on my way to free him, when I was caught by Peter."

Amelia was shocked by all this, she wasn't sure whether to believe it or not, but it was certainly plausible. The problem with a dark curse is that there are many of them that, once broken, all traces of them are erased, and the person they were cast on has no magical residue on them to prove they had a curse of such nature.

"This is most shocking, Albus, I remember Lucius vaguely mentioning something about Sirius never having had a trial, but it was in passing, and I don't think I ever got the chance to check." Commented Amelia.

"Well, obviously Lucius Malfoy doesn't really care, otherwise he would have followed up on those vague comments. So, it's a good thing I'm here now, then. I came as soon as I was able to break the dark curse." Said Dumbledore, in response to Amelia's comments. He sure was glad he'd come here first, especially after the comments the portrait of Phineas Black had made. At first, he'd been to angry, and concerned, and in his haste, he'd forgotten exactly what it was that he'd originally come to the Ministry for, but thankfully, he'd remembered just in time. It would have been awful if Lucius had Sirius freed before he had a chance to do it.

"Another thing, Amelia, that I need to bring to light, given recent events, is that I know where Peter is." Added Dumbledore, pausing for a few seconds to watch her reactions before continuing. "I didn't say anything before, because I thought he was innocent, and hiding out of fear. But now that I've overcome the dark curse…" he trailed off, and sighed.

It was a risk to give up Peter, however calculated it was. But if he could convince Amelia to hold off for an hour, he could get Peter back to Hogwarts and into his private office, and charm him to silence before handing him over and getting Sirius freed.

"so, then, give me an hour to contact Peter and trick him into coming to see me; meanwhile, you can quietly bring Sirius to the Ministry… to prevent Peter, or any unsavory parties, from finding out before his innocence on this matter can be officially declared." Said Dumbledore, as he informed Amelia of his plans.

"That's a good plan, Albus, but wouldn't it be better if I sent some Aurors back with you? Just in case, of course, considering he got the drop on you once already." Commented Amelia, interlinking her fingers and staring at Dumbledore thoughtfully.

"While normally I'd agree with you, I feel pretty confident in my ability to subdue him. Besides which, I fear he might have ways of being in places where he shouldn't and knowing things he shouldn't. Therefore, taking Aurors with me, might tip him off that something's going on, and he might not show up." Explained Dumbledore to Amelia, his face showing concern, honesty, and some regret.

"Very well, Albus. But be careful on this, please, and I'll see you back here in an hour? If you don't show up, I'll assume you've been found out and I'll send out a convoy to look for you and Pettigrew." Said Amelia.

"Thank you, Amelia, I'll see you in an hour." Said Dumbledore in response, before leaving the Ministry quickly.

His original plans had been to file for custody of Harry, but this, Albus believed, would be much better. Now all he had to do was send out an urgent call to Peter, take him into his private office with an excuse, anything would do, maybe he'd start off by confiding in Peter his fear that Phineas' portrait might say something. That should do well as a distraction, then he'd stun the rat, and maybe use the imperious curse to force him to forget everything that would incriminate him.

* * *

Meanwhile, Lucius was still working with the Goblins to claim everything back to the Potter accounts. Some of the most notable things being claimed by the Goblins under the name of the Potter family were objects listed as being currently on loan by Potter's magical guardian to Hogwarts, and they included most of what Lucius remembered seeing Dumbledore using: about 10 robes he used on special occasions, some jewels, dinning wear, and two thrones made out of gold and rare jewels; one throne sat in his office, and the other one in the Great Hall.

What infuriated Lucius the most was the fact that famous "Weasley Family Clock" which listed where each member of the family was, actually belonged to the Potter Family, and it had been created by Lily Potter herself as an _"end-of-year" _project for Hogwarts, in which she had incorporated everything she had learned in charms, runes, and arithmancy. According to the Goblins, the classified paperwork they had, to which he had access to because of his temporary guardianship of Harry, said that the clock had gained her early entry into the unspeakables, and before she had gone into hiding, she had been working in the Department Of Mysteries.

"I'll be glad to recover that _personally_," growled out Lucius. "Anything else that he gave to the Weasley's?"

The goblin frowned as he checked the list over again. "Surprisingly a lot, actually, although everything he gave to them seems to be under Molly's name."

Lucius scoffed, and kept frowning. "Tell me, please."

"Well, mostly jewelry, really, but all of it of great historical value: a tiara made of white gold and sapphires that once belonged to a famous Romanian princess. It was worn by Dorea Black when she married Charlus Potter, and by Charlus sister, Federica, when she married Darius Wikovich. After which, she moved to Germany, and soon after lost touch with the rest of her family. It's possible that Harry has some family there. But I'm afraid with don't have any records here of Federica Potter after she became Federica Wikovich."

Lucius nodded, "yes, I understand. I'll have to look into that, it would be a great present for Harry." _To think I could actually find Harry some living, magical, family members…_thought Lucius, before unconsciously adding, _and some possible powerful connections overseas._

"I agree," murmured the Goblin, who had had many dealings with both honest, and dishonest purebloods. Harry, in the Goblin's opinion, was deserving of gifts, especially, if it was something that belonged to his family in first place.

"but let me continue," said the Goblin, "a necklace with a rare translucent magical stone is listed as being on loan… that is troubling, because this particular stone, while worn, continually absorbs a steady stream of the wearers magic, and the magic can be accessed in times of stress, when the need for extra magic is great. But its use can also be twisted… for it can absorb magic from people _other_ than the user. Healers a long time ago made use of such stones, because they would absorb magic from volunteers, and use it to heal others."

"I see where you're going with this…" said Lucius, with a thoughtful, and worried frown, "I remember reading something about it in one of the older tomes in my family's library. Evil Witches and Wizards started stealing them from healers, and started using them to steal magic from others. They were eventually defeated one by one, and the stones were supposedly destroyed, however, there was a rumor going around that the stones were kept by the families of the heroes who destroyed the thieves."

Here, the Goblin smirked, "it'll probably shock you to learn, however, that the Potter's were _not_ one of the Heroes who defeated the thieves."

"Then… how did the stone come to be a family treasure?" asked Lucius, almost confused.

"Matthias Peverell, the last Peverell before the family name became _Potter_, was in fact, the _reason_ why the name of the family was changed to _Potter_. He was a powerful aspiring necromancer, much like his famous ancestors. But many of his spells, and rituals failed; nowadays, most think it's simply because Necromancy is a branch of magic that has never worked. Matthias, however, believed he simply needed more power to succeed, so in the dead of a dark winter night, he sneaked into a hospital, stole one of the stones from a healer… the only stone that was in the area at the time… and proceeded to steal the magic of everyone in the building. He drained them to the point of death, and because of this, no one ever knew it was him." Finished explaining the Goblin to a shocked Lucius.

"but, if no one knew… then how?" he asked, confused.

"well, with the family money, he proceeded to buy and ward an island, to which even _we_ don't have a location for (we believe only someone of Potter blood can know where this island is) and he practiced his Dark Arts there, in secret and privacy. He kept a journal, detailing his story, so that it may be known by his descendants and future practitioners. Thus, it was the only stone never recovered, because the public at large never knew it was him that stole it." Explained the Goblin.

"interesting…" murmured Lucius. "I'll have to look into that… why would Dumbledore take that stone? And… you say he gave it to Molly Weasley?" he asked.

The Goblin nodded, "that's what it says here… of course, assuming he knows what the stone is, it's possible he only recorded that he was giving it to Molly Weasley, but kept it for himself instead."

"Can you simply summon all these things? Before Dumbledore comes out with whatever trick he's using to fool magic into thinking he's got legal rights to these things?" asked Lucius, concerned that if they didn't hurry, Dumbledore would be able to stonewall their attempt to retrieve the items.

"well, we can, but we need Harry Potter to be here. The magic of retrieval works in combination with a Goblin and someone of the right blood with legal rights to the items that are to be retrieved." Explained the Goblin.

"unfortunately, Harry Potter is currently unconscious. So performing the ritual will have to wait." Commented Lucius.

The Goblin narrowed his eyes, "unconscious? Why?" he asked.

"Nothing to worry about, just the aftermath of a ritual. He'll most likely wake up in time for Christmas. And hopefully, nothing will happen to his family fortune and treasures in the meantime." Explained Lucius lightly.

* * *

While Lucius was still at Gringotts, Dumbledore was capturing Peter. He lured Peter to Hogwarts, with the excuse that the portrait of Phineas Black might have said something to someone. Peter went there quickly, and Dumbledore bound him. After some thought, Dumbledore decided that using the imperius to get him to forget would be way too risky, so as an alternative, he decided to confide in Severus Snape.

After summoning Severus, they went into Dumbledore's private office, and Dumbledore told him everything. Dumbledore, believing he had managed to convince Severus that everything he did was for the best; asked for Severus' expertise in the field of the Dark. After calculating their next move, they proceeded to give Peter a series of dark potions, and performed dark spells on him. Everything was done with the purpose of getting Peter to forget everything that would incriminate Albus Dumbledore. By the time they finished, Peter was convinced that Dumbledore had never known he was guilty of anything.

After dismissing Severus, Dumbledore quickly summoned Amelia, who came to Hogwarts with a posee of Aurors.

The next morning, the Prophet's headline read: "Sirius Black Innocent! Albus Dumbledore uncovers truth of Black's innocence and captures real culprit, Peter Pettigrew!"

**End Of Chapter~**

**Chiyoku says: **So, Dumbledore and Lucius didn't actually meet up. Disappointed? I hope not, because since Lucius and Dumbledore both hold secrets they want to keep from the other, a meeting between them at this point would be pretty boring. Either way, I think it was a pretty interesting chapter, although I could be biased.

Let me know what you guys thought, ok? I appreciate all reviews, except for blatant flames. If there's something you didn't like, constructive criticism is better received than a flame. (Flames, I simply skim, and delete).

Whether you review or not, I hope you enjoyed reading this!

ps: hint of the future: as I was writing this, I got an interesting idea that I hope to introduce very soon. Can you spot what it is?


	19. Chapter 19

**Chiyoku says: **Hi, kids! It took only a little more than a month to update again, so you could say that's a record, considering how long I've been taking lately. Like I said before, though, I was taking my point because I didn't feel like writing. It's that simple. Anyways, now that Sirius is getting freed, I'll get a chance to write some more interesting bits, like some bashing, maybe? Molly, for one… as for the rest, I don't know… I guess we'll see where things go. But I already had an idea of finding an excuse to bring the Weasley's to Grimmauld, because the whole canon part for that really blew. It was Sirius' home, and frikin' Molly fat-ass Weasley was acting as if she was in charge! I've mentioned before that it was that part especially that really pissed me off. So I've been working on moving things along so I can write my own version of that.

As for the reviews: I'm happy everyone hates Dumbledore as much as I do. Hopefully this chapter will answer some of your questions as to whether Dumbles will be getting the upper hand or not. I'm happy everyone seems to like the way I write Dumbledore! I was actually afraid, when I started this story, that none of the characters, especially Dumbledore, would come out the way I wanted them to. But the level of anger and outrage in the reviews against Dumbledore is just about what I was hoping for when I started writing him.

As for everything else, like future pairings, Hermione, Ginny, etc., I'm still analyzing and plotting. So you'll have to wait and see. Trust me, though, I'm considering everything you guys suggest in the reviews. (And I mean –everything-)

**Enjoy!**

**Alternation Nation**

**A fanfiction by Chiyoku Shibata**

_**Recap: **__Lucius talks with a Goblin at Gringotts about everything that Dumbledore has been doing and taking in regards to the Potter accounts. He finds out some interesting Potter artifacts, and the fact that Harry might have some family in Germany. He also discovers an interesting connection between the Potter family, the Peverells, and Necromancy._

_Dumbledore realizes that it's in his best interest to free Sirius from Azkaban. And goes straight to Amelia about it; before giving Peter to the Ministry, he uses Severus to cast Dark magic on Peter to make him forget about Dumbledore's involvement._

**Chapter 19: The One With Sirius Black**

Sirius Black was sitting on his bed, staring at the little barred window that was situated a bit higher than eye level. He didn't really want to sit on the bed, after ten years, it wasn't really much more comfortable than sitting on the stone floor. But he had a schedule to stick to. He always spent early afternoon sitting somewhere on the bed and staring out the window. Not that he could see much, since it was a small window, but he could see the sky. And at this hour, if it was sunny, a ray of sunshine always slipped through the window.

At thirty-one years old, Sirius Black never expected his life to be like this. He always hoped to be a bachelor until his late twenties and be married by the time he was thirty. _Marriage…_he thought to himself, _who would have ever thought that my best friend would be married by eighteen, and have a child by twenty. _His mind was quiet for a few moments, as his facial features changed to show despair. _Who would have ever thought he'd be dead by the time he was twenty-one… _"oh, merlin, james" he murmured brokenly. He started crying, and then he started laughing. "I won" he murmured with a chuckle. "we always said I would probably die first. You owe me ten galleons, James!" he finished, his voice louder, and chuckling. _But he can't pay you, can he, because he's dead. _

"Way to ruin the mood…" he murmured, now sad once again.

"Don't worry, loveling, we'll get our revenge." Said a female voice in a low tone of voice.

Sirius sighed and, ignoring the ray of sunshine that had been hitting his face, he got up of the bed, sat on the floor, and crawled close to the bars of his cell.

"Oh, Bell-bell, have I told you 'I'm sorry', yet, today?" asked Sirius, to Bellatrix, whose cell was right across from his.

"it's been ten years, Siri, you don't need to say it anymore." Murmured Bellatrix, her dirty face stuck as close between two bars of her cell as she could.

"I know… but I have to say it. How could I have fallen for the lies of that lemon drop addict, when I had my _family_ telling me not to trust him…" murmured Sirius, as his eyes filled with tears.

"well, our family is filled with crazies, me amongst them, so you had a good reason to doubt." Bellatrix explained, with a wry smile. "Besides," she added, "if you inherited your dear mother's paranoia, I'm not surprised you would doubt us."

Sirius scoffed, and smirked, "that's for sure."

"We'll get our revenge, Siri. I promise you that. When our Lord comes back, he will save your godson and help you get revenge against the one responsible." Exclaimed Bellatrix, her voice strong and full of conviction, yet low enough so the guards wouldn't hear; she had a fire burning in her eyes.

"Thanks, Bella. I needed to hear that." Murmured Sirius, smiling a little.

Their conversation was cut short as the Dementors announced their presence; with Bella backing away into a dark corner, closing her eyes, and covering her ears; and Sirius backing away as well, and turning into his animagus form.

Sirius groaned slightly as the hunger hit him suddenly. They don't get fed very often, just enough to prevent death from starvation, and the water they drink trickles into each cell from small holes on the wall.

It's all done in an effort to prevent actual human guards from having to go into the cell areas very often. Once a week, a guard walks by and makes sure everything is still the same, and to check if any of the prisoner's died.

Sirius, as an ex-auror, knows that Azkaban has other sections, where minor offenders are housed; people that have committed crimes that only warrant a couple of months or a couple of years in Azkaban.

A couple of times a month, those people are also subjected to the Dementors, in an effort to dissuade them from committing any more crimes once they are released.

But the section where Sirius is imprisoned is where the murderers are housed. Hardly anyone, be it guards or family of prisoners, visits this section.

One thing that worked out in his favor is the fact that there aren't many spells at Azkaban. The typical spell cast to prevent vermin from roaming is missing, which is meant to be another way to punish prisoners, but Sirius, in his animagus form, find it easy to feast on the rats that occasionally wander into his cell. As a human, it makes him throw up, but as a dog, he practically manages to swallow them whole, which makes it easier for him to not starve as much as other prisoners.

Every once in a while, he also pulls apart rats with his teeth, while in his animagus form, and passes the parts around to Bellatrix, her husband, and his brother; they are all housed next, and across, from each other, and while they find it hard to kill the big and tough rats themselves, or even pull them apart without throwing up, it's an easy thing for Sirius to do while in his dog form.

The other food they get is a tasteless goop, made of who knows what, that they get as often as the guards feel like. Sometimes they get fed once a day, if the guards feel particularly generous, but most often, however, they get fed in a variation of once every other day, or once every two days.

Since Sirius can eat rats, sometimes he tries to save the food he gets from the guards, and he eats it all together in one special day. He loves the feeling of fullness he gets in those days, which is why he's willing to eat just rats sometimes, in an effort to save the goop and not starve.

To pass the time, Sirius, Bella, and the Lestrange brothers have had many conversations. They talk about their life, their experiences, and Sirius has talked much of his experiences with his friends, and his life surrounded by light-siders.

He told them everything he could remember about Dumbledore, and Bella and the others helped him see how much Dumbledore has been playing them all. The fact that he's in Azkaban and he has never been convicted certainly proves their point.

Today, however, was going to turn to be quite different than what Sirius was expecting. His plans of attempting to mix rat guts with his goop were interrupted when he heard a door open out of his line of sight, and he quickly turned back into a human. That sound always meant a human guard was coming.

But the sounds today were confusing, because he heard a group of footsteps walking together, and that meant a group of people. It never bode well for the prisoners when a group of people came in here, unless they were bringing in a new prisoner. When the group stopped in between Sirius' and Bella's cells, Sirius noticed, from his corner of the cell, that it was people he was familiar with, and they were all looking at him.

A tall and impressive looking black man, whom looked familiar to Sirius, and was wearing Head Auror robes, was accompanied by an Azkaban guard, one other Auror that must have been brought by the one in Head Auror robes, and Dumbledore.

When Sirius saw Dumbledore, he felt himself grow cold with rage. He didn't know what they wanted, maybe question him or something, but he wasn't planning on talking, or being agreeable. If he could, he would have done something drastic to that old man, like torture him.

"Sirius, my dear boy," said Dumbledore, tears gathering in his eyes, "I captured Pettigrew for you, my boy, I discovered your innocence. You're free!" he finished saying, while a couple of tears escaped his twinkling eyes.

"I'm… what?" he mumbled, almost confused.

"My name is Kingsley Shacklebolt, Mr. Black. I'm the current Head Auror." Interrupted Kingsley, making Dumbledore frown minutely, as if annoyed that Kingsley was taking away his shining moment of declaring Sirius innocent so as to ingratiate him to himself.

"If you'll come up to the cell doors," continued Kingsley, "we're going to cuff you, and take you to the interrogation room for a preliminary questioning under veritaserum, and provided your version of events coincides with what we already got from Peter Pettigrew, we're going to escort you to the Ministry for an official court hearing." Explained Kingsley.

Sirius frowned slightly, and said "you'll have to excuse me, but I'm feeling a bit too weak from malnutrition to comply with your request." He said, his voice sounding hoarse, as if from spending too much time either in silence, or screaming.

After hearing that, the group of people shifted around, as if uncomfortable and ashamed.

Dumbledore, however slightly ashamed, almost scoffed and rolled his eyes at what, in his eyes, was an obvious attempt at causing drama; trying to make people feel sorry for him.

"Allow me." Said Dumbledore, in a tone of voice that was almost cheery, then he took out his wand, and levitated Sirius up to the front of the cell and promptly released him, expecting Sirius to remain standing.

Sirius, still annoyed at Dumbledore, allowed himself to fall on the floor with a thud and groan.

"Dumbledore!" reprimanded Kingsley, shocked that Albus Dumbledore would be so careless with someone who had been in Azkaban for ten years, and was obviously physically suffering from his stay. His companions were also shocked at Dumbledore's display.

He quickly opened the cell door, forgetting that Sirius might be dangerous, and carefully helped him stand up. One of the other Aurors helped him, and they carefully cuffed him, and helped him walk slowly, all the way to the interrogation room.

No one noticed Sirius turning slightly to look at Bellatrix in the eyes, and winking. They also didn't notice Bella smirking back at him, a triumphant look in her eyes mixed with anticipation. Now that Sirius was getting free, legally, she knew eventually he'd do something to help _them_.

Dumbledore was practically grumbling in his head the whole way; pissed at himself at the lost opportunity to help Sirius himself. This was all supposed to be about _him_, not Sirius or Kingsley. It's supposed to be about Albus Dumbledore, leader of the light, uncovering evidence that proves Sirius Black's innocence; therefore, making _him_, Albus Dumbledore, seem even more amazing and powerful. Sirius is supposed to see Albus as his savior, not the Auror department as a whole.

After taking Sirius to a small interrogation room, Sirius made them swear that they would only ask questions related to the topic at hand. After approving the questions, they gave him veritaserum and asked him basic questions to verify his identity. After that, they asked him questions that proved Dumbledore had cast the fidelius charm himself, and had made Peter the secret keeper.

They all looked at Dumbledore, and coughing uncomfortably he said, "that matter has been cleared up, already. Peter cast a dark spell on me that made me forget he was the secret keeper."

After confirming that Sirius' version of events matched what Peter had described already, under veritaserum, they gave Sirius the antidote, and took him, under protective custody for his own safety, to the Hospital for recovery while they set up the hearing for Sirius, and the trial for Peter.

By nighttime, Sirius was full, clean, warm, comfortable, and full of as much medicine as the Medics could safely give him. He fell asleep with thoughts of revenge, and of finally being reunited with his godson.

"Good morning, Mr. Black." Said a Mediwitch the next morning, gently waking him up to give him another set of potions.

"Morning, and it's _Lord_ Black." Answered Sirius, slowly opening his eyes and yawning.

"Excuse me?" asked the Mediwitch as she helped Sirius sit up and then gave him a potion.

After drinking it, Sirius answered her "I heard my _dear_ mother's dead, and since she never disinherited me, then I'm _Lord_ Black, not _Mr_. Black."

The Mediwitch smiled and then chuckled, as she gave him another set of potions to drink. "I'll pass the word, then, Lord Black. Merlin forbid they insult you by calling you _Mr._" she said, amused.

Sirius chuckled, "Merlin forbid." He said, in answer.

After the MediWitch left, breakfast appeared, floating on a tray right in front of him. Everything on the tray looked really good, but then, anything would to him after ten years in Azkaban. It wasn't quite a full English breakfast, but it was all the required nutrients that his body needed to get better.

After devouring breakfast, and burping a couple of times, Sirius groaned and lay back down. He was so full, he almost felt like he could easily throw up at any moment. Then he smiled, it'd been ten years since he was this full.

He soon fell asleep once again; when he finally woke up, the same MediWitch from before came in, gave him more potions to drink, and when she left, lunch was served.

As he was eating, there was a door knock, and Albus came in, smiling and twinkling his eyes like crazy.

"Hello, Sirius, my boy, it's good to see you again." He greeted, as he walked in and made himself comfortable on a chair that was against the wall on the other side of the room.

"Hello, Dumbledore." Greeted Sirius, before turning back to his lunch.

Albus chuckled, "please, call me Albus, Sirius, you're not in school anymore."

"So, _Albus_, what's going on?" asked Sirius, eager to get rid of the old man who had ruined his life.

Albus almost frowned at the tone of voice, but contained himself by reminding himself that Sirius was only released the day before.

"Well, thanks to me, you're almost completely free. There's the official hearing to be done, yet, of course, but that's pretty much a formality, being done to decide how much money the ministry will give you to apologize, and basically, to have an official formal hearing to be able to present to the public." Dumbledore explained quickly.

Then he continued, without letting Sirius give an opinion on the matter, "You should be home free before the end of the week. I've personally been talking to important people at the Ministry to make sure everything is done right, and quickly. You can thank me later." He finished with a chuckle.

"Maybe you should have tried to get things done right when it mattered, Albus. Like, when I was caught, and my wand was snapped at the scene of the crime, without even questioning me at all." Commented Sirius, his voice full of anger.

Albus looked down, pretending he was sad, only to hide his anger at being questioned, then he looked up, not blinking, so tears would gather in his eyes. "I'm sorry, my boy, I was on my way to the Ministry that same day, but Peter was too fast for me, and I never made it…"

"I find it hard to believe that _Wormtail_ would be faster than Albus Dumbledore" responded Sirius in disdain.

"Yes, well, I guess we both underestimated him. He _was_ a servant of Voldemort, after all, and who knows _what_ dark arts he learned from that monster." Said Dumbledore in his own defense.

"Yes, well, I had an excuse, I was young, and inexperienced. You're supposed to be the great leader of the light!" exclaimed Sirius, suddenly quite angry.

Dumbledore swallowed his first reply, which would have been something along the lines of: _How dare you question me!_ Which was what he was thinking, but he realized that Sirius was a very big part of his plans to get control of Harry and his money.

Instead, he lowered his head, forced some tears to escape his eyes, and then said, "I have to make up for with you and Harry, Sirius, I know that. Speaking of which," he said, trying to change the subject, "I've been thinking about what you can do after your pardon is official." He started explaining, and smiled before continuing.

"According to my sources, the Ministry is planning on offering you a hundred thousand galleons per year that you were unjustly incarcerated. It would amount to a sum of a million galleons. I find it to be a very nice sum to start a comfortable new life with Harry." Started explaining Dumbledore, with a smile, he was so very eager to manipulate Sirius into giving him that money.

"Now, through a loophole, Harry is currently in the custody of Lucius Malfoy. Which, I think we can both agree, is a mistake that we need to correct. According to my sources, Lucius is working hard to bring back Voldemort. We always knew his defeat was temporary, so my plans, which would benefit you and Harry greatly, include you selling Grimmauld place, which should yield a nice sum of galleons." He continued to explain, not allowing Sirius to interrupt him for anything, he would explain what he knew about Voldemort and his return, when they left this place, but not now.

"That, together with the money you'll get from the Ministry, means that you can buy a nice manor close to Hogwarts, for yours and Harry's security, of course, and you can give the rest of the money to me, to fund the war effort, of course, I believe I can put it to good use." He said with a big smile, just thinking of that money brightened his day. His excuse was _funding the war effort_, but seriously, what could they possibly need to fund, aside from bribing people for information. Which meant the bulk of the money would be used by Dumbledore himself, with Dumbledore dropping a few hundred galleons here and there to make certain allies of his, like the Weasleys, even more grateful, and willing to follow him without even thinking about it.

"Also, I have some allies that are going to need a safe house, so, parts of my plans include putting your future new manor under fidelius, with me as the secret keeper, which would allow me to invite to your home, and our future safe house, several of my allies, which include the whole of the Weasley family. Little Harry and Little Ron have a healthy rivalry going on, which could easily turn them into best friends under the right circumstances. So, I'm planning on having them share a room in your new manor. We wouldn't want to spoil Harry by giving him his own room, right? After all, we don't want him to turn into the very people you hate, right?" he said with a chuckle, he was going to force a friendship between Ron and Harry no matter what.

"One last thing, I'm also thinking it's a good idea for you to suggest to Harry that he take Ginny out on a date. Little Ginny is the Weasley's youngest child, younger than Harry by only a year, and I know she harbors a crush on Little Harry, so it's good for all." He said, already making plans to force Harry to date Ginny, so he can use Ginny to have even more control over Harry, his weapon.

"Also, Hermione Granger, a muggleborn currently being used by Lucius Malfoy for publicity, would also be a good candidate to bring to your new manor, and we can have her share a room with Little Ginny." He explained, happy that he soon would have control over a muggleborn, which would make him look good in the public eye.

"I'm sure they'll all be grand friends soon enough. Poor Hermione got injured during an incident at Hogwarts. The poor thing was caught out of bounds and was injured by a rogue Troll, because neither Harry nor anyone else, thought to go look for her when the Alarms sounded about the Troll. It's very tragic that it never even occurred to Harry to find out if all his classmates were safe." Dumbledore looked down again after he finished his fast speech, and forced more tears out of his eyes. It was his plan to slowly start brainwashing Sirius into thinking that Harry should always be the one willing to sacrifice himself for the good of anyone who needs it.

Sirius was part enraged, and part completely lost and confused. "uhm, that's a mighty speech you just delivered, Albus. I think I need time to process all that you said, so I'm going to ask you to please leave now."

"Of course, I'm sure the heaviness of how grateful you must be that you were released and found not guilty thanks to me, coupled with all the amazing plans I'm thinking up to make your life easier _and_ reunite you with your Godson, must leave you tired. But remember, there's no need for you to think. Just depend on me, and leave everything to me, and I'll have you surrounded by friends in no time at all. By the way, your court hearing is in two days' time." He said, before getting up. He needed to make sure Sirius didn't forget that it was thanks to Albus Dumbledore that he was free, and without him, he would still be rotting in prison.

"And, of course," added Dumbledore before leaving, "Peter's time in the court comes a day _after_ your hearing. You must be so _grateful_ I managed to over the dark spell and catch him, right Sirius?" he finished with a smile, a way to remind Sirius that it was_ Albus_ who caught the rat he hates, thereby enabling the truth to come to light.

Sirius forced a tired smile on his face, "of course, Albus, I'm eternally grateful. I don't know how I'll even repay you." He answered, saying what he knew Albus wanted to hear. And sure enough, Dumbledore smiled in satisfaction and left.

The forced smile on Sirius' face left as soon as the door closed, and changed to a look full of hate. The only good thing to come out Albus' visit was that the dumb old bumblebee thought Sirius was at his weakest and most vulnerable, which was the only reason he spilled all his plans. Psychology says that thoughts can be easily implanted into the mind of a vulnerable person. And Dumbledore must have thought Sirius would be weak enough to completely miss the subtle compulsion to go along with, and even adopt some of Albus' plans as his own. He scoffed, as a Black, he was never weak; that was one of the first things he was thought by his family; how to never be caught vulnerable enough to allow thoughts to be implanted into his mind.

But Albus thought he had succeeded, which would definitely work to Sirius' advantage. Knowing what Dumbledore was planning would make it easier to plan something against it. He would have to, somehow, let Malfoy know that he wasn't going to be working against him, but that he was going to allow Dumbledore to think he was getting away with whatever it is he's planning. He'd be able to tell Malfoy everything he knew about Dumbledore and his plans, which would make it easier to screw up his plans.

He'd have to think carefully, and find out what happened the night his best friends were betrayed. Even attending Peter's trial, he was sure he wouldn't be able to count on the Ministry asking all the necessary questions beyond whatever would take to get the Kiss sentence on Peter.

The first thing he would do is, not sell Grimmauld place, that one was easy. Then, not allow Dumbledore to be secret keeper, which was even more obvious. And of course, he would have to see if there's some sort alternative to the money that Dumbledore said the Ministry was going to be giving him.

Aside from screwing up Dumbledore's plans, which he was gladly going to be doing, he also needs to find out the truth about the War. There's a lot he's taken for granted, like Dumbledore being light and good, and Voldemort Dark and Evil, but based on personal experience, Sirius is coming to realize that it's not exactly all that. There seems to be a lot going on behind the scenes that he has no idea about. And he needs to know about all that before making a decision.

From what little he has observed, however, he's sure Dumbledore doesn't have Sirius' or Harry's best interest in mind. Which means anyone who follows Dumbledore is also suspect. The Weasley's being the prime suspects here, followed by anyone else that Dumbledore might want to bring into his home.

Sirius then spent the rest of the day plotting and planning, in between bouts of resting. The MediWitch in charge had told him the Ministry ordered no visitors, aside from Dumbledore, because he's chief warlock of the wizengamot, so there was nothing much he could do. He was still sleeping a lot, so either way, he wasn't up to having visitors.

The next morning, after potions, and breakfast, he asked the Mediwitch if he could send a letter.

"Of course," answered the MediWitch, "just ask a house elf for a quill and parchment, and then ask them to deliver it for you."

"Ah, thank you, that's all I wanted to know." Said Sirius, with a smile on his face, to which the MediWitch responded with another smile, and then left.

Once he was on his own, he did as the MediWitch had instructed, and set to write a letter.

_To my cousin Narcissa,_

_As you might or might not be aware, I've been freed from Azkaban. I'm currently awaiting a court hearing that will happen tomorrow. I'm as good as freed, since they questioned me under veritaserum, while at Azkaban, before bringing me to the Hospital. _

_I'm writing to you because, while at Azkaban, I was placed in a cell across from your sister, Bellatrix. We talked a lot, as you may imagine, since I had ten years to fill up. She opened my eyes, Narcissa, and I've come to realize I've been a fool. I never should have trusted Albus Dumbledore. Because of that blind trust, I was betrayed, my best friends, James and Lily, were killed, and my Godson was left an orphan. _

_Bellatrix suggested it's possible I inherited my mother's paranoia, at least to some degree. It's the only explanation as to why I would have chosen to follow Dumbledore, even though I had never been subjected to any light-siders while growing up. Aside from James, of course, but even he wasn't completely Light, considering he was raised by a Black. _

_I heard that Harry has been staying with you and your husband, and I wanted to thank you. Dumbledore was very carefully not to mention exactly how Harry came to be housed with you, therefore, I can only imagine where he must have been before; hopefully not with the Dursley's. Even Lily didn't hesitate to say she hated her sister and her sister's husband, Vernon; and Lily was practically a saint. I don't remember her ever saying as many bad things about anyone as she continuously said about her sister. _

_Anyways, I decided it's best if I don't openly defy Dumbledore, at least for now. He has confided in me many plans he has in regards to me, my money, and Harry. Not without adding a compulsion so that I would "adopt" some of his ideas, and follow him without question. If I hadn't been raised a Black, it would have stuck. Actually, it makes me wonder if my defiance against my family was completely mine, or if it was unduly influenced by Dumbledore._

_Several of Dumbledore's plans include me accepting the money I'm going to be offered in recompense by the court, and selling my childhood home in Grimmauld place to buy a home close to Hogwarts, so me and Harry can be "better protected" by him and his allies. _

_He's already planning on permanently placing the Weasley's in whatever new home he's already planning for me; and he's even planning on Ron Weasley being Harry's best friend, and Ginny Weasley on being his girlfriend; from what little he said, I gathered that Ron and Harry are pretty much enemies, and that he doesn't even know Ginny. He's also planning on taking some muggleborn Granger that he says Lucius is using for publicity._

_And the cake topper in all this? He wants me to "donate" whatever money's left after buying my new house to Dumbledore himself, to "fund" the war effort. Because apparently, in a wand fight, Wizards need money, somehow. Oh, he also said Lucius is planning on Voldemort's return. Not sure as to the truth in that statement, but that's what Dumbledore says, which is, seemingly, his excuse for everything he's planning on doing._

_For now, though, I'll play along, and I'll be passing along anything else he says to me. But, of course, at some point soon we should get together and discuss these things in person. The only reason I'm confiding in you and Lucius right now is because of Bellatrix. I believe you should be able to attend my hearing, if you so wish, and Peter's, the betrayer, which is the day after mine. If Harry wants to come with you, I would welcome it. _

_Anything else can be discussed in person, _

_With affection,_

_Your cousin, the Lord Black._

**End Of Chapter~**

**Chiyoku says: **Hey, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Sirius is finally free! And I hope I managed to assuage some fears about Dumbledore getting the upper hand? It seems ten years suffering in Azkaban, knowing he's free, _and_ being housed right across from Bellatrix, affected him in ways some of you might not have been expecting. *evil laugh* I can't wait to explore more of this new, and in my opinion, improved, Sirius.


	20. Chapter 20

**Chiyoku says: **hey guys! Are you surprised? A new update in less than a month! Wow…well, I'm finally getting to a part that has me really excited, so that inspired me. There's also a surprise in this chapter, and it's something that I came up with on my own, and I've been planning for it for a long time.

Comments about the reviews: someone mentioned HarryBella…. As in HP with Bella Black? Sorry, but no. Not I mind the pairing, but it doesn't fit in here. Bella's happily married to Rodolphus Lestrange.

(remember guys, Harry's still eleven years old in my story, and we're only at December of Harry's first year)

Someone mentioned I kept writing sit instead of seat, I have no idea why I keep doing that, haha. Sorry.

They also mentioned they like the way I write, thanks! My style is usually to focus on characterization, and character development. I can't ignore things like Rowling does, I don't know how she does it, because if I try to just ignore development, I don't know, it makes me very anxious.

Anything my characters do, has be born from them, has to be natural. I'm not good at forcing my characters to do something that's against their nature; therefore, I _must_ include character development.

However, I'm doing my best to advance the story. Which is why I've been focusing on Sirius at the moment. He's going to help me make a jump to Harry's second year much faster. I'm going to hazard a guess that Harry will be going into his second year within five chapters, approx.

What else… oh, the name of the story: someone asked me if the name was supposed to be _Altercation Nation_? No. haha. I'll explain: _Alternation_ is a real word; it comes from _Alternate_, which means to change back and forth. So, Alternation would be the act or process of alternating or the state of being alternated. In my story, the main characters alternate from Good to Evil, and Light to Dark. And I added _Nation_, because it rhymed, and because the Wizarding World of Britain is like a Wizarding Nation. So, we arrive at Alternation Nation.

**Enjoy!**

**Alternation Nation**

**A fanfiction by Chiyoku Shibata**

_**Recap: **__Sirius Black is released from Azkaban. Dumbledore expects to easily control him, but Sirius has clearly changed a lot, and has become allies and friends with Bellatrix Black, who was his neighbor for the duration of his stay at Azkaban. An overconfident Dumbledore confides in Sirius all the plans he has for when Sirius is finally healthy enough to be released from the hospital. Sirius immediately writes a letter to Narcissa and Lucius Malfoy, telling them everything._

**Chapter 20: The One with Sirius' Court Hearing**

"So, how do I look?" asked Sirius, smiling at the MediWitch and at his lawyer. The MediWitch smirked, "spiffy." She said, then she asked "are you sure you feel well enough?"

"Yes, I'm not postponing this. I'm as good as not guilty, already, but this will make it official. And my lawyer here," he said motioning with his hand to the man, "will make sure it'll be in all the papers; even those in other countries. So I'm not missing it for anything." He finished saying.

His lawyer nodded, "that's right, Lord Black. It's the least you deserve, in my opinion."

"Right, let's go, I don't want to be late." Said Sirius, with a nod and a deep breath.

Before they could leave, there was a knock, and the door opened. It was Dumbledore.

"oh, Albus, what are you doing here?" asked Sirius.

"I'm here to defend you, my boy, of course." Said Albus with a deep chuckle, as if he found it amusing that Sirius would not realize something so obvious.

Sirius had already had a talk with his lawyer, therefore, the man had an answer ready.

"With all due respect," said the lawyer, "you are the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, and it would be inappropriate to have you aiding my client."

Dumbledore blushed slightly, he had hoped no one would realize it; it had been a rather futile wish, since he had hoped to be able to speak out in Sirius' defense, even though this was merely a Court Hearing and not a Prosecution.

"You are right, of course," answered Dumbledore, "I merely wished to make things as expedient as possible."

The lawyer nodded, "As I'm sure you already know, you will not be acting as Chief Warlock in this Court Hearing, because you were the one who gave case to release Lord Black." Commented the lawyer.

"Yes, I know." Answered Dumbledore in a tight voice. He was thoroughly annoyed that he had been shunted aside for the Court Procedures on the technicality that he was the one who presented proof in Sirius' favor. He had wished to have an even bigger part in all of this. _But, _he thought to himself, _at least I was the one who initiated this whole thing, so that should be enough for now. _

"Well, I suppose I'll see you there, Albus. I hope they let you in as a spectator, at least." Commented Sirius with a bright smile, because he knew that Dumbledore would be annoyed at being considered a mere spectator.

And Dumbledore was definitely annoyed with Sirius' comment, he would show the man who was charge, eventually. All in due time, but in the meantime, he gave Sirius a small smile, "let's hope so. I guess I'll see you there, then." He said in answer, before giving out a small nod of greeting, and leaving.

"Thanks for getting rid of him." Said Sirius to his lawyer.

"No problem," the lawyer answered, "I'm sure he thought if he walked in with you into the courtroom, no one would object to him being there."

"We can only be thankful that he's not a member of the House of Lords" said Sirius, and his lawyer, and the MediWitch, who was still there, still checking on Sirius' health before they left for Court, all chuckled.

"That's true," said his lawyer in answer, "can you imagine the damage he'd do if he had a seat that was hereditary, and, by law, couldn't be taken away? Thank goodness his membership in the Wizengamot was by vote, and not inheritance."

"I never understood government very well," commented the MediWitch, "what's the difference between the Wizengamot and the House of Lords?" she asked.

It was the lawyer who answered, "Basically, they're the same thing. Except the seats in the House of Lords are much fewer, and can only be gotten by inheritance. Any family who has a seat in the House of Lords, can never be kicked out of the Wizengamot. And the seats can only be given, in special circumstances, only to other families who already have a seat."

Sirius nodded in all the right places, then added, "that's basically the gist of it. Anyone who's in the House of Lords, is basically a permanent member of the Wizengamot. There's also other benefits awarded to members, of course, given that the House of Lords was the reigning power before the Wizengamot existed and the Ministry was still being set up. There's a whole list of laws and loopholes that can benefit members of the House of Lords. In fact, some laws that are written about in the papers as being passed by the Wizengamot, are in fact passed by the House of Lords only; thanks to one of the loopholes."

The MediWitch looked impressed, "sounds complicated." She commented.

Sirius and the lawyer both laughed, "it is." Said Sirius.

"Alright, enough chit-chat, time to go." Said the lawyer, suddenly. And, in the company of Ministry appointed Aurors, who had been standing outside of the room the whole time, they left for the Ministry.

About two hours later, the hearing was almost done. Despite having read the newspaper articles detailing the preliminary questioning at Azkaban, it was still quite shocking to realize that a Lord of an important pureblood family had been at Azkaban, not just without a trial, but innocent, as well.

The one who chose to put him in Azkaban at the time, Bartemius Crouch, was due to get into a lot of trouble for it, and could probably expect to do some time in Azkaban for it. Maybe up to a year, at least.

Everyone was also pretty heartbroken to hear the story of how Sirius was _supposed_ to be the secret keeper, but how they chose to switch to Peter at the last minute for fear that choosing Sirius would be too obvious.

When Sirius said, under the effects of veritaserum, how Dumbledore had been the one to initially suggest how easy it would be to guess that Sirius would be secret keeper and how it was not wise to trust their other friend Remus Lupin, because the man was a werewolf, everyone turned to look at Dumbledore with hatred in their eyes.

After questioning Sirius thoroughly, and even calling on Dumbledore, Peter, and Remus Lupin, just to get a complete view of events, they set up a short recess. After about ten minutes, they declared Sirius officially not guilty, and it was declared that Dumbledore would get his own chance to explain himself before the courts, and also, they promised retribution against Peter the following day.

After those declarations, they set about offering Sirius some recompense for his time at Azkaban.

"It is the ruling of this court," declared Minister Fudge, acting as Chief Warlock for this hearing, "that Lord Sirius Black should get one hundred thousand galleons per year that he was at Azkaban prison, to be given to him before the end of this day, out the Ministry vaults. Since he was at Azkaban for ten years, the sum total of galleons is one million."

When the Minister declared that, a couple of things happened at the same time; the members of the Wizengamot smiled in celebration of Sirius, Dumbledore smiled at the thought of getting his hands on all those galleons, and Sirius' lawyer stood up and called the attention of the court.

"My client has requested an alternate method of reparations." Said the lawyer when called on by Minister Fudge.

Dumbledore frowned angrily, wondering what nonsense Sirius was thinking about. And the rest of the members of the Wizengamot all started murmuring and looking around in curiosity, except for Lucius Malfoy, who had been warned in a letter written by Sirius, to him and Narcissa.

"My client requests immediate surrender of his charge, one Harry James Potter, as denoted by the last Will and testament of one Lord James Potter," started saying Sirius' lawyer; Dumbledore smiled at Sirius' forethought, and almost regretted having thought ill of him, but then he frowned again when Sirius' lawyer continued speaking, "and he requests, in place of money, that it be performed on him the ritual called _Justice of Stendarr_".

Several people, including Dumbledore, looked quite shocked, but others looked confused. The Minister was one of those who were shocked, but he quickly got over it and explained out loud, for those who didn't know.

"The Justice of Stendarr is an old and rare ritual that can be performed on special occasions like this one. If someone was illegally incarcerated and turned out to be innocent, the Ritual could be performed and they would gain back the years lost. Basically, in the case of Lord Black, the ritual would cause him to physically turn back to the way he was before he was imprisoned at Azkaban." Explained the Minister, and all those present who hadn't known about the Ritual, had dawning looks of understanding on their faces.

Dumbledore was trying to hide how angry he was, because how dare Sirius give up a million galleons just for vanity.

"The Ritual," continued to explain the Minister, "is rare, because the ingredients are expensive; and the Ritual itself can only be performed by a panel of select people from the Department of Mysteries. It is not known, exactly, what the ritual entails, most of the steps, and ingredients required are kept secret; and the Ministry only knows that it has been performed a couple of times before. It does exactly what it's supposed to do, and it only seems to work on people who deserve it, which mostly seems to include the unjustly incarcerated. There seems to be no risk of misuse for this Ritual."

Someone from the panel of Witches and Wizards of the Wizengamot stood up, "we require a recess, Minister." She said, bowing slightly, and then sitting down again.

Minister Fudge nodded, "granted, this court will go on recess for half an hour discuss this request."

Everyone started talking amongst each other, while the panel of Witches and Wizards on the stands set up privacy and darkening spells so they could speak in private and not be seen or overheard.

Since it was a hearing, they had allowed a small number of members of the press, and the general population. It had been first come first serve, so to speak, because they didn't have space for everyone and there was no real need to give out special invitations to anyone.

Also, at a hearing, there's normally no witnesses called, but since this was a special case, they had decided, at the last minute, to call on Dumbledore, and Remus. Peter had already been in the building, because his prosecution would take place the day after Sirius' hearing.

Dumbledore, back on his seat as a member of the public, was quietly seething and plotting. He couldn't believe this turn of events, but there had to be a way to turn this in his favor. He kept thinking about the Ritual, and how it might affect Sirius. A younger Sirius would be easier to control, definitely, but only if his mind also regressed along with his body. Suddenly he smiled, because he realized that it only made sense that his mind would regress as well; Sirius had been so easy to manipulate as a teenager. It had been a true boon to wrestle away the future Head of the Black family, no matter how much Walburga had tried to warn Sirius.

There was always the fear, of course, that he would be disinherited, but Walburga had always remained hopeful that Sirius would return and ally himself with the darker Blacks, and therefore, with the Dark Lord.

Dumbledore took a deep and calming breath, and relaxed into his seat. Now that he had thought more about this situation, he was realizing that the chance of this occurrence harming his plans was very minimal.

Meanwhile, Remus was in his own seat, not too far from Dumbledore, and he was exchanging looks with Sirius. Remus was looking sorrowful, and ashamed, and he was basically begging forgiveness with his eyes. He even mouthed _I'm sorry_ to Sirius, who gave him a half smile and a look of understanding.

The rest of the time, Sirius spent it studiously ignoring Dumbledore, who was trying to get Sirius to look at him so he could, maybe, send him a look. But with Sirius ignoring him completely, he couldn't do much but give out a half glare that he tried to point towards some known dark Wizards, instead of at Sirius.

Soon enough, the spells lifted, and the Minister started talking. "Lord Black, we have decided to accept both of your requests. We will grant you custody of one Harry James Potter, as per the request in the Potter Will; and will grant you your request to undergo the Ritual _Justice of Stendarr_ in lieu of the one million galleons."

Sirius laughed and smiled in celebration, along with the rest of the people; except for Dumbledore, who wasn't sure to celebrate the fact that Harry would soon be under his command, or lament the loss of the one million galleons. _ Maybe,_ thought Dumbledore, _ I'll suggest to Sirius to buy a small cheap cottage with a big parcel of land, and simply add rooms magically, afterwards, much like the Weasley's have. Or… I could trick Sirius into giving me access to the Potter and Black accounts, and to his seats… that could be potentially easier, and more lucrative, in the long run. _Dumbledore smiled, and nodded in happiness and agreement with his own idea. Some people around him saw him and simply thought he was happy for Sirius.

Meanwhile, the Minister called for order, and started talking once more. "You will be granted custody of Harry Potter by the third of January, which is when the Holidays end; and we will be contacting you for the Ritual at some point around mid-February. That is our final ruling."

They all stood up, and some people started clapping, while Sirius shook hands with his lawyer. Remus stood up fast, before Dumbledore had a chance, and practically ran to Sirius' side.

Sirius turned to look at him, and as they exchanged looks, filled with happiness, and sorrow, shame, and forgiveness, there was also the flashing of photography from the reporters. They hugged tightly, and Remus murmured into Sirius' ear "I'm so, so sorry."

Sirius tightened his hold on Remus for a second, and said, "it's ok, I do forgive you, but we can talk later, ok? There's too many people here, and I just know Dumbledore's gonna bug me."

Remus and Sirius let go of each other, and Sirius said "I still have to go back to the hospital, and I've been asked to come tomorrow for Wormtail's prosecution. So, come see me at the Hospital later? I'll leave word that you be allowed to visit, ok?"

Remus nodded, just as Dumbledore finally reached them, "ok, Sirius," answered Remus, "I'll see you later." They hugged again, and Sirius, along with his lawyer, and Dumbledore, who grabbed on to Sirius' arm and didn't let go, started walking towards a special entrance, so they would be able to leave without being bugged by the reporters, who had been taking pictures, and shouting questions the whole time.

One hour later, after getting some paperwork done at the Ministry, Sirius was back in his hospital bed. Everything he had done today had tired him more than he thought it would.

He wanted to sleep, and leave a message to the MediWitch to be woken up if Remus came to see him while he was asleep. The problem was Dumbledore, he had followed Sirius back to the Hospital, and was currently standing next to the bed where Sirius was lying down.

"I have to say," started saying Dumbledore, "that I'm both proud, and disappointed in you, Sirius."

"why?" asked Sirius.

"Well, I'm proud that you used your hearing to get dear Harry back faster. I do worry about the poor boy, being stuck with the evil Malfoy family." Answered Dumbledore, making a _tsk_ sound and shaking his head slowly while looking at the floor, as if show his sadness. Then he looked at Sirius, and continued, "I'm also disappointed that you would let _vanity_ get the better of you. Really, my boy, trading in one million galleons just to get back your looks? Imagine everything you could have done for yourself, for Harry, _and_ for the Order, if you hadn't chosen to trade the money for your youth. Some things are just meant to be, you know? You can't meddle with fate like that. It's not healthy. If the gods want you to look the way you look now, it's wrong to perform that Ritual on yourself. You can still change your mind, you know?"

Sirius frowned, and crossed his arms. "I think I know better than you what's best for me, and what's best for Harry. You _are_ after all about 130 years old, right? Besides, this ritual only works for people like me, who were illegally and unjustly, imprisoned. It's not even about _vanity_, it's about _health_, because from what I know of this ritual, and from what Fudge explained at Court, it basically turns back time for my body. All those years I spent in prison because of other people's prejudice and stupidity have caused my health to deteriorate. I want to be strong and healthy, and this is the way. Besides, I would have thought you'd _want_ me to be healthier. After all, how much help can I be for the Order if I'm constantly feeling weak and sick? As for the money, between the Potter and Black vault_s_, there's more than enough money for me, and Harry to live out our lives without ever working, easily. Which means, there's more than enough for me to help out the Order if it ever needs potions or a safe house, which can only be gotten with a certain amount of money."

Dumbledore smiled, and nodded, "you are, of course, right in that assessment, my boy. I just worry about you, you know that." He said, patting Sirius on the head as if he was a child, then he continued, as if it had just occurred to him, "speaking of safe house, it just occurred to me that with everything you're doing, taking Harry away from those death eaters, it will really anger them. We know Voldemort is still out there trying to come back, and we know Harry and anyone who knows and supports him will be a target. So considering how rich you seem to be, I was thinking we could permanently move in some people to whatever house you go to. We could buy and ward a nice big house next to Hogwarts, and move some of the Order members there. We'd all be close by, and have very good protection. In fact, I insist on setting all the necessary wards myself, and putting myself in control of them. After all, I spend most of my time at Hogwarts, or the Ministry, which makes me the safest person to use. We can cast the fidelius on your new home, and I'll set myself as the secret keeper. This way, there'll be no chance of you trusting the wrong person again like you did with Peter. Eh?"

"you know what? You're right, Albus." Said Sirius in agreement, smiling brightly.

Albus smiled back, equality as brightly, happy that Sirius had agreed so easily. A little _too_ easily, as it would turn out, but he would realize that just a little too late.

"I'm feeling very weak and tired right now, though, so we can talk more tomorrow. What do you say? Meanwhile, you can keep planning how we're going to do all this that you talked about, right?" said Sirius, appearing tired.

Dumbledore nodded, as if graciously, and said "of course, my boy, of course, you rest for now, and leave all the thinking to me. I'll take care of you and Harry the way you deserve."

"Thanks, Albus, you're such a good person, you know? Always thinking of others." Answered Sirius, while pulling on a cord to call the MediWitch.

Soon, the MediWitch walked in and Dumbledore left, after saying his goodbyes.

The MediWitch gave Sirius some potions, and promised to wake him up if Remus came by later. Moments later, all thought left him, and he fell asleep.

"Lord Black," said the familiar voice of the MediWitch, gently shaking him awake as if only a couple of minutes had passed.

"mmhh wussap…" he mumbled, his voice barely understandable.

"Wake up, you lazy butt!" said a very familiar male voice.

At that, Sirius opened his eyes, "Remus, you're here."

"Of course I am, Sirius."

They exchanged looks, and the MediWitch coughed and said, "you have two hours until visiting hours are over, Mr. Lupin, I'll make sure you're not disturbed." Then she left, closing the door behind her.

During the next two hours, they talked about everything. Remus told him about his life, and Sirius told him about his stay in Azkaban and all the things he came to realize during his time there, including all about Dumbledore's true nature.

They forgave each other, swore to never doubt each other again. Remus was finally convinced that Dumbledore wasn't the great man he had thought he was. Especially considering that ever since Sirius had been sent to Azkaban, the man had barely contacted him at all. Only every once in a long while Remus would get a call from Dumbledore, just to say hi, but the man had never offered him money, or shelter, or even a job. Remus had managed to survive, mostly by getting odd jobs in the muggle world. But still, he wouldn't have said no to Dumbledore if the man had offered him some support.

All of this that Remus had lived, put together with what Sirius had gone through, had made it easy for the man to finally realize that Dumbledore wasn't a good person.

And so they plotted, and Sirius told Remus his plan to fool Dumbledore, and he even told him about how the Malfoy's were in on it, and how much they had helped Harry.

They had both been through too much over the last ten years to ever trust Albus Dumbledore ever again; anyone who supported Dumbledore was also suspect. But Remus agreed with Sirius' plans, though, and thought it was pretty great. By pretending to still support Dumbledore, they'd be able to secretly undermine his plans and authority much easier.

Just before visiting hours were over, the door was burst open, and a plump woman dressed like a homeless Witch ran inside, followed by Dumbledore, who walk in with an amused smiled, at a sedate pace.

The woman practically jumped onto the bed and hugged Sirius tightly, "poor, poor, man!" she exclaimed. Then she added, "don't worry, I'm here, I support you, and I will make it all better."

Sirius looked scared, and disgusted, while Remus back off a few steps in confusion. Dumbledore chuckled, "Sirius, Remus, this is Molly Weasley. I went to visit her after I left the Ministry, and when I told her what had happened with you, she couldn't help her urge to come and mother you."

"How…nice of her…." Mumbled Sirius, while Molly pulled back and started motherly caressing his hair and fixing the bed sheets.

"Well, someone had to, dear, after all you went through. Especially if soon you'll only be 21, again, then you'll _need _an adult like me to take care of you and mother you like you should have been mothered. You know, I have a son who's about your age." She commented, looking at him adoringly, as if she had already adopted him.

Sirius frowned, "what, 31?"

Molly laughed, "No, silly, he's 21, too."

"uhm, but I'm 31." Responded Sirius, confused and slightly freaked out. By the look on Remus's face, he was, too.

"Well, technically, dear," said Molly in answer, "but you spent ten years in Azkaban, so you obviously never had the opportunity to mentally develop the way a normal adult would. And soon, you'll be the age that you're supposed to be, based on your development. And thank goodness for Albus, right? Otherwise you'd never have the opportunity to become young again, and gain back all the wasted time that you lost because of your own rash and foolish actions." She finished saying.

Sirius frowned, "so it's my fault that Peter betrayed us?"

"No, of course not, dear," answered Molly, condescendingly patting his head, "but you have to admit, if he was really your best friend for all those years, you should have noticed something, and you didn't. But that's neither here, nor there," she added at the end, when it looked like both Remus and Sirius were about to interrupt her. "the important thing," she continued, "is that you're free now, and soon enough you'll be 21 years old and you and Harry will need adult supervision."

Albus nodded in agreement with Molly, and he had a bright smile in his face that Remus and Sirius found creepy and disgusting. Molly had the same smile.

Then Albus said, "well said, Molly, you're exactly right. Sirius, Molly and her family are the ones who'll be moving in with you and Harry. I'm sure you'll have a great time choosing a new home with Molly's help."

"Oh, yes," agreed Molly, "I'm very excited about going house-shopping. I'm already planning everything, so no need to worry, little one. In fact, I've even got in my head already who is going to share rooms with whom!"

"Dare I ask?" asked Sirius, lifting an eyebrow.

"Of course! Well, little Harry with my Ronnie, of course, because they're the same age, and bound to become best friends, even though it's such a shame that the Hat made the mistake of putting little Harry in with those nasty Slytherin children. It's clear he's a Gryffindor, through and through, like his parents; so kind, brave, and self-sacrificing. But no matter, Albus will grant him a change in house once we rescue him." She said, patting Sirius' head again.

Remus was so beyond outraged by now, that he was almost laughing at the absurdity of the situation.

Molly then continued, "Ginny, of course, will share with that kind little muggleborn that's been abducted by those evil Malfoy's, even though I know how eager Harry and Ron will be to share a room with their respective girlfriends, they're still too young for that. You'll have your own room, of course, but we'll leave in an extra bed in there for when my Bill or Charlie come to visit, they can room in with you. Then, of course, the twins get their own room, because there's no need to subject someone else to their mischief making, and Percy in a room of his because he's so smart. And of course, me and Arthur will take the biggest bedroom, because we're married and married couples deserve the biggest and most important bedroom in the house. Thank goodness you're rich, because otherwise we'd end up having to use magic to make the house bigger like we did with the burrow."

"uhu… well, I see you've got everything thought out, there. But, as much as I enjoy listening to someone else plan out the lives of several people without even caring that it might not be their place to do so, I must sleep now, I'm _dog_ tired, and I need to be rested for tomorrow." Commented Sirius, resisting the urge to murder Molly where she stood.

"Of course, dear, of course. Now come along, Remy, Albus, let's go. Sirius still hasn't completely recovered, he needs rest." She said, not having bothered to understand what Sirius had beyond the fact that he was tired. She patted Sirius' head, tucked him in tight, then grabbed Remus' hand and forced him out of the room.

Remus and Sirius exchanged looks, and they rolled their eyes, "see you tomorrow, Sirius, have a good night." Said Remus. Sirius returned the sentiment, and said goodnight to Albus, as well.

Albus said goodnight, and walked out, but inside he was a little angry with Molly. She had spoken too much, and made Sirius weary and angry with her. She was supposed to mother and cuddle him, not make the man angry. Either way, Sirius didn't exactly complain, so maybe he's was simply tired.

Well, now that he had introduced Molly and Sirius, Sirius couldn't say that Albus was bringing strangers into his home. And that, really, had been the point of introducing them. Because the next step, once Sirius was released from the hospital, would be to bring in all his supporters into whatever home they bought after selling Grimmauld Place.

After they all left, and Sirius was alone, he called in the MediWitch, and begged for a sleeping drought. He drank it without a second thought and fell asleep within seconds. If he had stayed awake too much longer, he would have probably ended up making something explode from a burst accidental magic. The MediWitch noticed his state, but didn't say anything.

**End Of Chapter~**

**Chiyoku says: **Hey, I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Did you like the surprise? Sirius is going to get de-aged, haha. I had come up with that a long time ago, actually, so I'm glad to finally get to write that.

Also, I pretty much skipped over most of the trial, because I think we've all read enough of those. It gets pretty repetitive if I have to go over the whole thing. I hope you're not disappointed. But don't worry, anyone who still needs to be punished (like crouch and dumbles) will get their time in court, but this was about Sirius. In real life, you don't just lump in everyone together in one trial, you focus on the matter at hand, which in this case, was basically getting the whole story, and issuing an apology to Sirius. (not a pardon, because he didn't do anything that he needs to be pardoned for)

Also, yes, I play the Elder Scrolls. Haha. That's where I got the name for the ritual. Well, the actual Ritual and the "Justice of" part was something I thought up, but I've been playing a lot of Skyrim, so I got the idea to use one of their Gods. I almost used Kynareth, or Dibella, but I realized Stendarr fit better because he's the God of Mercy and Righteousness.

See you next time! Thanks for Reading!


	21. Chapter 21

**Chiyoku says: **Hey, buckos! Sorry for taking so long to update, life got in the way. Let's see, though, review questions: some people were dying of anticipation, so I hope they're not reading this chapter from the afterlife. As for Dumbles, I'm so happy you hate him, because that means I'm doing a good job. Unfortunately, he's not getting his comeuppance yet (but it's coming, I promise). What else…Fus Roh Dah on Molly and Albus…. Ooh, good idea. It gives me an idea for some more "Harry accidental magic" the likes of which "Ron the Ugly Roach" already knows about. :evilcackle:

As for Molly, I love to hate her. =D So I was happy to read that you guys seemed to enjoy hating on her, too. Unfortunately, no Molly on this chapter, but we'll be seeing her next chapter for sure. Bwahahaha!

Seriously, Dumbles and Molly bashing really inspire me, and gets my creative juices flowing.

Anyways, that's all for now.

**Enjoy!**

**Alternation Nation**

**A fanfiction by Chiyoku Shibata**

_**Recap:**__Sirius' court hearing, he gives up the galleons awarded to him in exchange for Harry's custody, and a ritual that will basically de-age him.(he's getting Harry on Jan 3__rd__, and the ritual around mid Feb) Dumbledore keeps sticking himself in the middle of things that don't concern him, trying to control Sirius, and Harry. Dumbledore is also making lots of plans that involve using the Black and Potter money and influence, and to that end, he brings Molly around, who's already planning everything from sleeping arrangements, to the fact that Sirius will need adult supervision once he's back to being physically 21 years old._

**Chapter**** 21: Yup, More Sirius Black**

It was a day after Peter Pettigrew's trial. The night before, right after Peter's sentencing, Sirius had gone out to a high class Wizarding Restaurant to celebrate. He had invited Andromeda Tonks and her family, since they were closest family he had that he could openly speak to at the moment. Remus had, of course, gone with them, as well, and Sirius had forced the man to dress up. He hadn't been blind to the looks that had been traded between Remus and his young cousin, Nymphadora, but he knew Remus would consider the recently graduated 18-year-old to be too young for him, no matter how attractive the girl was.

Speaking of Nymphadora, the first time the girl's hair had frizzed after being called by her given name, Sirius had frowned, and then spent at least a good half hour berating her about being ashamed of herself and her mother. At the end of the talk, the girl had practically started crying, because she hadn't realized that she sounded as if she was ashamed of her own mother, herself, and her family, simply because she hated her name. Andromeda, at long last, finally explained to her daughter that her name meant _"gift of the nymphs"_ and she had been so named in honor of a Wood Nymph that had given Andromeda the gift of fertility. Apparently Andromeda had been rendered infertile after suffering an illness in her youth, and after she saved the life of the Wood Nymph, she had been cured of her infertility in return.

Nymphadora, who had never been told that story before, decided that it had been wrong of her to hate her name. Considering the fact that without the Wood Nymph's help, her mother would never had given birth to her, she was finally cured of the hate she had for the name. From then on, she decided to finally start introducing herself as "Nymphadora", instead of simply as "Tonks".

They had ended the night with talks of reinstating Andromeda to the Black family, and granting her the dowry that she should have been given all the along.

All that had been the night before, however, and today Peter was without a soul, and his empty shell of a body had been dropped in Sirius' old cell to allow it to die on its own from dehydration. And Sirius was finally going back to his old home.

He gave a sigh as he climbed down from the Knight Bus, and thought about the appointment he had with Amelia Bones in a couple of days. It was to talk about the issue with Bellatrix and the Lestrange brothers and how what they had done to the Longbottom's was a family matter, and not a crime.

Bellatrix had been about five months pregnant when a group of aurors led an illegal raid on one of the Lestrange homes and the Longbottoms had been a part of it. They had vague suspicions of the Lestrange's being a part of Voldemort's Death Eaters, but they'd had no proof. Bella had been hit with a curse that had terminated her pregnancy and made her unable to ever carry a baby to full term. She wasn't infertile, despite popular belief, but she was as good as, since any baby she got pregnant with after that had barely made it to month 3 before she would invariably suffer a miscarriage.

In return for what the Longbottoms had done to her, since she had seen it was them who cursed her, she had gotten her revenge by attacking them. By then, her grief had made her slightly insane, so hadn't been able to hold back when she punished them.

Either way, it had all technically been a matter of honor between the Black and Lestrange families, and the Longbottom family. Bella's child would have been the first born of the Lestrange family, therefore the heir, and the first Black born in a while, even though the child would have carried the "Lestrange" name and not the "Black" name. It had been a serious crime that had been perpetrated by that particular group of aurors. Since they had never had any proof of Bella or the Lestrange's involvement in anything in regards to Voldemort, aside from the Dark Mark's, and everyone knew that hadn't been enough to convict the majority of Voldemort's supporters, it should be relatively easy to get them legally freed soon.

For now, however, Sirius was going back to his childhood home in Grimmauld Place. From the looks of it, it would need a lot of work to make it livable again. The house had remained empty since Sirius' mother had died shortly after he was sent to Azkaban.

"This place is going to need _a lot_ of work…" he whispered, as he crossed the Ward Barrier that kept the house hidden from view. The big house looked very ominous from the outside, dark, dirty, overgrown plants, and creeping vines. It made him wonder just how bad it must look on the inside, and if, perhaps, all the house elves are dead.

The thought of all the house elves being dead was dispelled as soon as he walked inside the house, however. The heavy door creaked as he pushed it open slowly, and he coughed and set out Air Freshener spells as he walked inside and closed the door. The air was stale, seemingly dead, and everything was covered in a layer of dirt. Therefore, he was quite startled when a house elf popped into the room, and ended up right in front of him.

"Lord Black! Mistress says you were coming back soon, says you apologized to her long ago for being traitor to my Mistress, so Kreacher thinks maybe new Lord Black might not be so bad to obey." the house elf, Kreacher, said as a greeting.

Sirius was pretty startled, but got his bearings back quickly and after taking a sharp breath he kneeled down and said, "Yeah, I apologized… I haven't gotten the chance to speak to her, yet, but I will now." He said, before continuing, "I also wanted to apologize to you, Kreacher." He said, realizing that the house elf would be a good ally to have, no matter how much Sirius always disliked him.

"Apologize to Kreacher?" asked Kreacher, his voice had a tone of confusion.

"Yeah," answered Sirius, "I know I never treated you right… I was a brat back then, and I didn't know better. So, I apologize for that."

"Uhm, well, new Lord Black apologized to Mistress, and he now apologized to Kreacher. Kreacher never thought that would happen…Kreacher accepts apology from new Lord Black." Answered Kreacher, in response to Sirius' apology.

"Right, thanks… anyways, moving on, I see that you've been… neglecting the upkeep around here, haven't you?" commented Sirius, looking around the dust covered entrance hall.

Just as Kreacher started punishing himself, though, Sirius stopped him, "Don't punish yourself, Kreacher. Nobody was living here, so I don't mind." He explained. Then he continued, "Now, I'm expecting some unwelcome visitors very soon, so there's some rules we need to talk about."

"Should Kreacher kick them out?" asked Kreacher.

"No." answered Sirius, "there are some things going on that prevent me from acting on my true feelings. More than likely, we'll have Albus Dumbledore as a regular guest, and the Weasley family. I don't know who else for now, but I can't let it be known that I dislike them. You can help in that regard, Kreacher. When they arrive, you need to pretend you dislike me and that you don't want to follow my orders. This will make it easier for me to treat all those unwanted guests the way they deserve without letting it be known that I dislike them."

"Blood traitors, and nasty Wizards! Kreacher will be glad to help out Lord Black. Kreacher will make them as uncomfortable as possible." Kreacher said, annoyed at the thought of nasty blood traitors forcing their way into the ancient house of Black.

"Good. Of the top of my head…. All I can think of for now is, don't clean the common areas. Clean only the biggest bedroom, and the second biggest bedroom. Those will be mine, and Harry's, my godson, once he gets here. Clean the library and kitchen, as well. All those rooms will be warded against intrusion, along with Regulus' room." He explained, playing with his wand as he walked back and forth, thinking.

"Make sure to remove anything personal, and valuable from all the other bedrooms," he continued, "but don't clean them. Our _dear_ guests will probably start trying to clean and throw away anything dark, but since I'm officially Lord Black now, all the family wards have been activated, and anything taken out of the house by someone that's not authorized, will simply return in less than a day. So we don't have to worry about anything going missing or being broken." He said, and then he cleaned a chair and sat down.

"What else…" he continued thoughtfully, "don't take orders from anyone that's not me or my godson, and don't allow any of our guests into the Kitchen. You'll be preparing breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner, but… we'll make up some rule about how _guests are only allowed a specific type of food_ and that way we can keep everyone from eating anything other than porridge, or something." He said with a laugh, as if he was already planning a way to prank his future guests.

"Of course, this is just of the top of my head, you know? I'll have to wait until our _guests_ arrive to see if I have to add or modify any of the rules." Sirius finished explaining all the rules, and then stood up and stretched.

"I'll let you get to it, then. Put all my parents' things from their bedroom into storage, and move my things from my old bedroom into my parents' bedroom. It's the biggest bedroom, so I'll be using it now…I think my old bedroom is the second biggest, so clean it up, and make sure it's ready for when my godson gets here. He'll be coming to live here on the third of January. That's all for now." He finished saying, before quickly adding, "oh, start with the kitchen, please, and make sure you dump everything that's not edible anymore, and stock up on food."

"It'll get done, Lord Black." Said Kreacher with a slight bow before he popped away.

Once he was alone again, he looked around and sighed. It'd been years since he'd been home, but everything still looked the same; dark and grim.

Everything was covered in dust, and when he experimentally swiped one of the shelves with his index finger, he realized the dust was pretty caked on. He sneezed, and then walked upstairs, slowly but surely. A shiver ran down his spine, because it felt pretty odd and creepy to be in a house this big, and for it to feel so empty. And yet, every corner he looked at brought back memories of his life.

After taking a look inside each of the rooms, he decided it was too depressing and creepy to stay on his own at Grimmauld place, so after letting Kreacher know, he left again.

_What to do…_he thought to himself as he walked around his old neighborhood. _Ah! I could go see Harry! _ He suddenly realized. _I know Lucius said he was still unconscious from the Ritual, but no matter._

After convincing himself, he went into a dark corner and performed some wandless, minor, cosmetic changed to his face and hair. He wasn't stupid enough to risk going to the Malfoy's as himself, not if there was a chance the wrong person could see him.

He took the knight bus, unsure about apparating directly, even though he knew where Malfoy Manor is, because the last time he had been there had been many years ago. A few moments later, he was in the outer, south, border of a town, and while he could see Malfoy Manor already, he knew it was hidden from the Townsfolk by wards.

He felt the wards recognize him as a Black, as he walked through them, and he enjoyed the long walk up to the front door. He was sure Narcissa had done a lot of decorating here in the gardens, because he recognized some of the decorating style as being similar to some of the decorations in houses and cottages belonging to the Black family.

He rang the doorbell as he got to the door, and it sounded loud and imposing. A house elf opened the door moments later. "I'm here to visit, could you please get Lady Malfoy, for me?" asked Sirius, and the house elf allowed him entrance and almost started crying at being asked with a _please_, instead of simply being ordered.

Some moments later, Narcissa walked into the room, and stopped short when she saw the person standing there smiling. "Uncle Alphard?" she asked with a half-smile, crossing her arms.

Sirius frowned, "what?" then he remembered he had used magic to change his looks slightly. He changed back with a smile, and walked closer to Narcissa, "sorry," he said, "I didn't want to be recognized."

"Right," said Narcissa, "so that's why you were walking around looking like our long dead uncle?"

Sirius rolled his eyes, "it was an accident, obviously. It's not my fault us Blacks all look similar."

Narcissa chuckled, and then hugged him. Sirius hugged her back tightly, "it's good to see a friendly face."

"Same here," answered Narcissa after they stopped hugging. "Come on, let's go to the parlor and have a drink, there's much we need to talk about."

"Can I see Harry first?" asked Sirius.

"Of course, I'll walk you to his room." Answered Narcissa, before walking with Sirius through the long hallways until they reached, what had become, Harry's room. "I do hope he wakes up by tomorrow…" commented Narcissa with a worried voice as they walked into the room.

"Why by tomorrow?" asked Sirius as he walked closer to the bed, where Harry was laying, sleeping quite calmly.

"Tomorrow's the 24th, Sirius." Answered Narcissa.

"Already? Wow…time sure flies when you're unconscious at the hospital." Commented Sirius, while he petted Harry's head.

"Don't exaggerate, you were hardly _unconscious_, Sirius Black." Huffed Narcissa.

"Yeah, well, either way. I can't believe I'm going to spend my first Holidays as a free man stuck in Grimmauld place in the company of Dumbledore supporters that I'm being _forced_ to accept into my home." Said Sirius, still petting Harry, and studying the sleeping boy's face with intent.

"yes, well, there's not much we should do about that for now." Commented Narcissa, in answer to Sirius' complaint.

"I know, I know. It's better to sort of go along with it for now. But I _am_ going to make things as annoying and difficult as possible for them, that's for sure." He said with a smirk.

"I'm sure you'll succeed. We Black's are nothing if not annoyingly good at being difficult." Answered Narcissa, with her own smirk.

"That's true. Is it any wonder all us are slightly crazy?" Sirius asked, chuckling a bit, and getting up from the bed, finally.

"Well, most of our family is dead, too, don't forget that." Narcissa reminded him.

"Didn't we used to be like a really big family?" asked Sirius, as he frowned and crossed his arms.

"well, we've had two big civil conflicts within the last 60 years… first Grindelwald, and then the Dark Lord….funny how Dumbledore was somehow a main figure in both conflicts." Commented Narcissa, with a raised eyebrow.

"yeah, funny that… supposedly he was friends with the first, and a teacher of the second…if one was paranoid, one would be suspicious of such an odd coincidence." Commented Sirius with a shake of his head.

"yeah, thank goodness we Blacks are more level-headed than that." Answered Narcissa with an almost serious tone of voice.

Sirius stared at her, and seconds later they started laughing.

"Anyways," said Sirius, "hopefully Harry'll wake up soon. It would be nice if he got to know me a bit before having to go to Grimmauld place where we'll be surrounded and spied on constantly by Dumbledore and his supporters…"

Narcissa agreed, "if he does wake up, I'll send you a letter in the usual manner and you can sneak over here, how's that?"

"that seems like a good idea, 'Cissa"

Sirius spent a while more there, petting Harry, and chatting with Narcissa, before joining Lucius Malfoy in the man's study. They had a long talk with the portrait of Sirius' mother, who told them what Phineas had overhead at Hogwarts.

It was a very enlightening talk for them all, but for Sirius especially, who had still held a glimmer of hope that Dumbledore might just be slightly senile, but with good intentions. Now, after hearing everything that Dumbledore had talked about, and the meeting the man had with _Pettigrew_ of all people, and how they had erased his memories with Snape's help. Not that Phineas had been present for that, but he had guessed, and Lucius had a talk with Snape soon afterwards, and the man had told him everything, so he had been able to confirm.

Midway through their talking, and plotting, Lucius had to have a house elf bring them something strong to drink, along with some snacks. The drinks were for the stress, and the snacks to have something to distract them. Lucius and Narcissa might have already known how manipulative and prejudiced Dumbledore is, but Sirius was still pretty distressed about it, no matter how much he had been able to hold it together the last week or so.

As luck would have it, a couple of hours later, right when Sirius went to Harry's room to say _goodbye_ to him, Harry woke up; a little groggy, confused, and with some new found knowledge and resentment towards Dumbledore.

Sirius introduced himself with quite a bit of flair, the result of an evening of drinking, and his genetic makeup. The moment Dumbledore was mention, Harry and Sirius found something to bond over, and they spent another hour talking about the man, some of Sirius' history, and the plans they had made.

Overall, Harry took the news of his upcoming move to Grimmauld place pretty well, considering he would be surrounded constantly by a meddling Dumbledore and his supporters.

Before Sirius left, he promised to try to sneak over either on Christmas or Boxing Day. He barely remembered to put on his glamour once more, and by the time he got back to Grimmauld place, his high from the good company, and the drinks, were leaving him, so he stumbled over to his new room, formerly his parent's room, and he dropped to sleep on the King sized bed, falling to dreamland quite swiftly.

He woke up with a headache the next day, and Kreacher, who was holding a potion in one hand, and trying to shake him awake with the other.

"Forgive Kreacher, Master Black, sir, but that Dumbdoor man was being quite insistent in talking to you, and wouldn't stop pestering Kreacher until Kreacher promised to wake you up." Said Kreacher, as Sirius grabbed the potion from Kreacher and drank it quickly. It was a potion to relieve hangover, he had recognized the smell, and color quite quickly, since he had drank a lot of those since he had turned 16.

"It's alright, Kreacher, thanks. Is he waiting? What time is it?" asked Sirius, as he got up and shuffled over to the bathroom.

"it's noon, sir. Dumbdoor said he'd wait until half past noon before bothering again. He said it was urgent…"

Sirius nodded, and yawned. "alright, Kreacher. Make me some coffee, some waffles, some fried eggs and mushrooms, some hash browns, and some fruit pudding…I'm starving. Oh, and bring me the Daily Prophet, and the Quibbler, any none-cursed letters I might have received, and tell Dumbdoor I'll call him after I finish my meal."

"Right away, Master Black." Said Kreacher before popping away, leaving Sirius in the bathroom getting undressed to take a quick shower, and wondering what Dumbledore might want this early.

Half an hour later, at exactly 12:30pm, while Sirius was still halfway done with his late breakfast, Dumbledore called again. He answered Dumbledore's floo call in the dining room, where he was eating his breakfast; and he stayed sitting and kept eating while he greeted Dumbledore. It was an amusing image for Sirius, who saw himself as regally sitting on a chair, while Dumbledore was probably uncomfortable, kneeling on the floor in his office.

"Well, finally, Sirius, my boy." Said Dumbledore, his voice obviously exasperated. "Where have you been? Do you have any idea how many times I've tried contacting you? Didn't your house elf tell you it was urgent? It seems Azkaban hasn't made you any more responsible than you were before."

Sirius tensed, and stabbed a piece of waffle, "I'm sorry, Albus," he said in answer, his tone light and with a hint of confusion, "Kreacher didn't tell me anything of the sort…. He did mention you called, of course, but he didn't make it seem urgent at all…I'll be sure to punish the little blighter later."

"Yes, well, I suppose I have to forgive you, then. Well, the reason I've been trying to contact you is that I'll be moving the Weasley's to your home today. They received an anonymous threat, and I'm worried, as you can imagine; and with little Ron being released in time for the Holidays, well, I don't want any added stress for poor Molly." He explained, with a worried frown on his face, and a slight twinkle in his eyes that was barely discernible over the green fire.

"Sure, no problem, Albus. They can come over anytime. Thankfully, I managed to work out how to control the wards of the floo. They've been slightly tricky to figure out… since I'm a blood traitor, and a _Dumbledore lover_ I'm afraid the house has been fighting my control." He explained with a roll of his eyes, and a tone of sardonic amusement when he said the last part about being a blood traitor and Dumbledore lover.

Dumbledore, obviously, heard what he wanted to hear, and smiled, almost pleased. "yes, well, I'll see what I can do to help you with those wards later."

Sirius smiled gratefully, "thank you, Albus, I was hoping you'd help me out. You know it'd be a shame if the house worked against us on during the holidays, of all times."

"Yes, that would be such a shame, especially since this is your first one as a free man. We have to make it special." Commented Albus lightly, happy that things seemed to be going his way.

"Well, just the fact that I'm a free man, and I've been proven _not guilty_ is enough for it to be special, not to mention that we're getting Harry back in about a week and a half, too" said Sirius in a cheery voice.

"yes, there is that, as well." Answered Albus.

"anyways," said Sirius, changing the subject, "I've got things to do today, but I'm leaving the Floo open for you and the Weasley's…just don't bring anyone else, for now, I'm not sure how the wards will react." Warned Sirius, "but I did leave word with Kreacher that we're getting some guests… just don't expect him to be very cooperative… I had a hard enough time getting him to cook my meals without poisoning them."

Albus chuckled, "not to worry, my boy, I think I can handle a rebellious Elf with no problem."

"Well, then, don't say I didn't warn you." Answered Sirius with a laugh; in his head, he was eagerly awaiting what Kreacher would be telling him later about the plans they had made. He couldn't wait to see the results, and it was too bad he had to be gone, but for greatest annoyance, Sirius and Kreacher had figured that Sirius should be gone, at least for that first encounter.

Albus chuckled again, "see you later, my boy."

"See you later, Albus." Greeted Sirius. Albus disappeared from the fireplace, and Sirius frowned, "just how many time is he going to call me _my boy_? It's getting mighty creepy already. Ugh." Then he scoffed, shook his head, and finished his breakfast.

**End Of Chapter**

**Chiyoku says: **Well, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I ended it here because it was about 9 pages already, and it seemed like a good place to end it. But next chapter for sure, we'll finally have the Weasley's at Grimmauld Place. Probably no Harry, yet, but it'll be getting easier to skip ahead now, especially once the holiday's are over. Although…we'll still have Molly…Ginny…probably Ron, too… I have to see how I go about stealing some power away from Dumbles without blowing Sirius'cover… anyways….much to do, much to do. But I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and see you next time! hopefully much sooner...)


	22. Chapter 22

**Chiyoku says:**Sorry I took so long to update, I didn't realize so much time had passed, honestly….time flies, really. As a prize for you guys, I tried to include as much "Dumbledore, Weasley, and Sirius interaction in Grimmauld Place" as possible.

One thing, people seem to like the way I write Dumbledore and the Weasley's (or at least Molly), which I love, because I try to write them the way that I see them in canon. I keep remembering Molly screeching about "Muggles" and "platform 9¾" in the first book (which was suspicious). And Dumbledore screaming Harry's name in the fourth book when his name came out of the Goblet, and the freaky way he advanced on Harry afterwards, sheesh, talk about retardedly angry. I have this image in my head of a gigantic Dumbledore towering over a very small and intimidated Harry. Pisses me off. It's what inspires me to write Molly and Dumbledore the way I do. =P

As for Hermione, everyone seems to have conflicting views on her. So, we'll have to wait and see how it naturally develops. Obviously, Harry is definitely interacting with her, considering it's just them and the Malfoys most of the time, and they probably have them studying school subjects together under the same tutor. So you'll have to wait and see how that affects the story in the future.

Some people also commented on the Lestrange/Longbottom twist. Let me just say, I'm really happy to have come up with that twist. I happen to love Bella, but I also love Neville, and I think he's got tons of potential. So I needed an excuse to eventually get Bella and Neville on the same side, without it being…an awful betrayal on Neville's part.

oh, and to the person who asked about the poll: I meant "on his side" as in siding with him, not as a romantic pairing.

Sorry I couldn't answer everything you guys asked, though. Some things are part of the plot, others, I just don't know yet.

**Enjoy!**

**Alternation Nation**

**A fanfiction by Chiyoku Shibata**

_**Recap: **__Sirius has dinner with the Tonks family. The story of Nymphadora's name is finally explained, and the girl gets shamed into finally accepting it. Also, the real reason for why Bellatrix and the Lestrange brothers attacked the Longbottoms. Sirius makes up with Kreacher, the house elf, and plots with him for when the Weasley's and Dumbledore visit. Later he visits the Malfoy's and then the next day Dumbledore tells him he received an anonymous threat against the Weasleys and wants them to move to Grimmauld Place as soon as possible. _

**Chapter****22: Sirius and the Weasleys**

On Christmas morning, Sirius Black woke up to several things that made him quite a happy man. The first one was a shrill voice screaming and arguing. Listening to that voice made him partly nostalgic and partly happy. Nostalgic, because it reminded him if his dear departed mother; happy, because the loud obnoxious arguing could only mean one thing, the Weasley family was here.

With a smirk, he got up and got dressed for the day. When he got downstairs, there was Molly, arguing with Kreacher by the kitchen door, there was a pair of snickering twins, sitting at a long table filled up with a delicious morning feast; they were snickering at their mother, while filling up their plates with waffles. A tiny looking redheaded girl was sitting across from the twins, and she was eating a cupcake, while she stared at her mother.

As soon as Sirius walked into the room, Molly turned to look at him with a fierce glare and she stomped up to him. "Sirius Black, where were you all day yesterday? We were counting on you to be here to help us with the move! Because you were not here, we had to wait until early this morning before being able to get through the wards! And it's Christmas day! That is very irresponsible of you! You're not a child again, yet, Sirius Black, and I expect you to act like the adult you still are!" she shrieked, while before hitting his arm once. Then she scoffed, "or simply sell this house as soon as possible, and allow me to choose where we move, and then I'll simply be the mistress of our new home. Then you won't have to worry about silly adult things like _responsibility_."

"Sheesh, Merry Christmas to you, too, Molly." Said Sirius with an annoyed tone of voice.

Molly actually stopped short and blushed, "oh, you're right, I'm sorry. Merry Christmas, merry Christmas." She said, before hugging him close and patting him on the back.

"That's better. Merry Christmas, kids." Added Sirius, looking at the twins and Ginny, "I have presents to give you after breakfast, sitting under that depressing black Christmas tree with the white decorations that's in the sitting room…as for you, Molly, yesterday I was gone all day, and I'm fairly sure I had left word with Albus about it after he let me know that he was bringing you here. I did leave the floo open, but I distinctly remember telling Albus that I was having some trouble with the Wards. No one tried to contact me yesterday, when, as you say, you weren't able to get through the Wards. As for where I was, well, since I was betrayed by my best friend, and sentenced to Azkaban without a trial for ten years, I was way overdue for some _adult_ fun, if you know what I mean. Of course, I could give you the name of the place I visited, it's not far, and they do have some males, too." Sirius lied, with a bright smile on his face.

Molly groaned and hit his arm again, "you are disgusting, Sirius Black. There are children present! Now, sit down and eat your breakfast. After that, you_ will_ order that demented house elf to allow me into the kitchen so I can start getting things ready for lunch. I don't even want to imagine the grime that must be in that kitchen. I'm half afraid to continue allowing my children to eat all this food. Also, you _will _allow me to change the Christmas decorations, and you _will _allow us into the bedrooms. I tried earlier, but my magic didn't work on the tree and there were was a _ward_ on the staircase! I _told_ the house elf to wake you up, but he refused!"

Sirius scoffed, and sat down to eat. He served himself some coffee, and a small pile of different foods, and watched with glee as Molly sat down, and served herself some tea. When she tried to grab a pancake, the plate shocked her. "What the Merlin!" she exclaimed, as she grabbed her hand hugged it to herself. The twins and Sirius laughed, and Ginny had a small smile on her face as she ate her third cupcake covered with cream.

"Who's responsible for this!" she exclaimed, and then narrowed her eyes when they all shook their heads, claiming ignorance.

She sniffed and tried to grab a plate with sausages, and she was shocked again. "What is going on!?" she asked loudly.

"I swear I don't know, Molly. Maybe it's part of the wards that I was telling you I had trouble with?" Sirius said, before resisting the urge to look around.

"We swear, too, mom." Said George.

"Yeah, all the damn time." Agreed Fred, before they both laughed.

"Well, then, what's going on? How can it be the Wards?" asked Molly, angrily.

Everyone shrugged, and kept eating, while Molly slowly started lightly touching plates to test what she could grab. There were some slices of white bread, and some green apples cut up in slices, and what turned out to be unsalted butter. It was the only things she managed to be able to grab without getting shocked. She wasn't even able to grab sugar or cream to put on her tea. She ate slowly, and sadly, while she stared at Ginny, Fred, George and Sirius eating delicious looking foodstuff. The bread was boring, especially with the unsalted butter, and the green apple was too bitter for her taste. Meanwhile, the twins moved from eating waffles to eating French toast, and it smelled delicious.

She sighed in relief when Dumbledore came through the floo, followed by Arthur and Ron. Dumbledore would be able to figure out what was going on with the plates. It didn't matter what they said, she still suspected either Sirius, or the twins, for this little _shocking plates_ incident.

"Thank Merlin you're here, Albus!" exclaimed Molly as soon as she saw Dumbledore, before she walked over and hugged Ron really close and tight, "Ronnikin, so good to see you, Merry Christmas! I'm so happy you're out of that awful place! Where's Percy?" she asked looking around.

"Ah, he stayed behind with some friends." Answered Arthur.

"On Christmas morning? How could you let him?" shrieked Molly.

"Well, he'll be back later, Molly-wobbles, and with the mess of having to move here as a last minute thing…" answered Arthur.

"Molly," interrupted Dumbledore, "you looked rather distressed when we flooed in, is there a problem?"

"Oh, Albus, it's terrible. The plates are shocking me, my magic wasn't working on that dratted Christmas tree, and there was a ward on the staircase, I haven't been able to get Sirius to add me into the wards so I could get upstairs and set up." She explained.

Dumbledore frowned and looked around; Fred, George, Ginny, and Sirius were happily stuffing themselves with seemingly no problem. The problem showed itself, though, when Ron practically jumped on the table, and tried to grab a plate that had slices of a Christmas Yule Log, but he only got electrocuted for his trouble.

"Wha'…Sirius, do you know anything about this?" asked Albus with a serious tone of voice, while Molly and Arthur took care of Ron, who was shaking and having flashbacks to the _treatment _ he received at the Sanitarium.

"Nope, not a clue. I told Molly that it might be the Wards." He said, while he accepted, from Fred, the plate that had shocked Ron, and served everyone at the table, who still only consisted of himself, the twins, and Ginny, a slice of Yule Log. They all started eating it happily, while Ron got up and glared in anger. "Why do _they_ get to eat and I don't!?"exclaimed Ron in anger, hunger gnawing away at his stomach.

Dumbledore pulled out his wand and started casting detection spells on the table and the plates. Then he walked over to the Christmas tree, then to the stair, and to the kitchen door, after Molly said she hadn't been able to get in. A couple of minutes later he walked back into the dining room, and stroked his long beard, before saying "there seems to be a repelling ward of some type…"

"Ah, yes," nodded Sirius knowingly, as only just remembering, "It's definitely the wards, it's part of a measure that's been integrated into the house wards for some time now."

"Care to explain?" asked Dumbledore.

"Well, in simple terms, the house thinks of you as _uninvited guests_ and is acting accordingly." He explained with a smirk, as he finished his coffee.

"What do you mean _uninvited guests_?" asked Dumbledore.

"Well, since technically, you, Albus, invited them, and not me, the house reads that as me, the new Lord of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black, being _forced_ to have you in my home. So, there are some things you won't be able to do…" he added to his explanation.

"What do you mean by that?" asked Molly.

"Well, I don't know, really…I never really tried to invite anyone home… and my mother always had to approve of anyone that was invited…so, I guess, if you want to stay here, you'll have to find out the hard way…" he said, and laughed.

"For one thing," said Dumbledore, "it seems certain people can't eat certain foods, or meddle with certain things."

Sirius nodded, "that's right. Like I said, I don't really know how it works, yet… the wards haven't had a problem with the twins or Ginny, but they don't seem to approve of Molly, or Ron…at least when it comes to the food…"

"I wonder why," commented Albus, "the wards seem to accept the twins and Ginny, and not Ron… at least when it comes to the small feast here?"

Sirius shrugged, "can't help you there… there house seems to accept me as Lord, thank goodness, but there's a bunch of stuff about the wards and how to control them that I don't quite get yet. I think there was a book about it somewhere, but I haven't found it, yet."

"I could see about dismantling the wards for you, Sirius." Commented Dumbledore, to which Sirius responded by laughing loudly, "if you think you're powerful enough to dismantle the powerful and ancient wards of Black manor without bringing it down over our heads, and consequently destroying all my family's property, not to mention destroying one of the only places, where supposedly, the Weasleys just _have_ to stay in order to stay safe because of the _supposed_ mysterious threat you said they received." He chuckled a bit once more after saying that, and then added, "Then feel free."

Dumbledore coughed a bit, feeling embarrassed, "I suppose when you say it like that, it does seem rather foolish. Well, we'll just have to help you look for the book while we clean up the house, right Molly?"

"Right you are, Albus! This place is absolutely filthy, disgusting, I can't have my babies staying here like this. It's much too dangerous." Said Molly.

"Well, it'll have to wait until after the holidays." Said Sirius, "I have no plans of cleaning during Christmas, and Boxing Day."

Molly listened to Sirius, and then said, "well, I suppose the dining room is clean enough to celebrate in…"

"Speaking of which, I have a couple of gifts for the kids here." Commented Sirius, standing up and smiling.

"Really?" asked Molly, surprised, then she added, "I have to distribute gifts, too. Wait, what are we doing about the food situation?"

Sirius shrugged, "I suggest take-out. Ready, kids?"

They all nodded excitedly, even Ron, and they followed him into the dingy parlor where a creepy looking 7 foot tall black Christmas tree stood.

"You first Molly, since you said you had gifts." Commented Sirius.

"Right…" said Molly, before summoning a couple of packages out of her luggage. She gave everyone, including her husband, a lumpy package.

After opening them, they all found knit sweaters in different colors, with the first letter of their first name stitched onto them.

They all tried them on, and as usual, they were slightly too big, but they thanked her anyways.

Arthur gave Molly a box of Honeydukes chocolates, which she thanked him for, and then opened right away, happy to be able to finally eat something yummy on Christmas day, after being denied by the Wards from eating anything delicious from the table. Ron, who had also been denied by the Wards, also ate a couple of chocolates.

"Well, now it's my turn." Said Sirius, with a bright smile, after the Weasley's finished giving each other gifts, "I didn't really have time to shop, you know, but I did find some stuff here that I thought you'd like." He said, before handing Ginny a small box.

She opened it eagerly, and gasped, pulling out a necklace out of a small box. The rest of the adults, who had also followed everyone into the parlor, gasped as well.

"It's made out of white gold, and real diamonds and sapphires." Commented Sirius proudly.

The necklace itself consisted of a thick chain of white gold, decorated with a serpent, also made of white gold, hanging delicately, and covered with very small diamonds, giving it an odd magical glint. The serpent itself was delicately wrapped around a chunky Sapphire.

"You like?" asked Sirius with a smirk.

Ginny jumped from the floor, and hugged Sirius tightly, "thank you, thank you, thank you." She said happily.

Sirius chuckled, "you'll be interested to know, that the necklace has several charms in it. White gold and precious stones actually help absorb and strengthen the charms themselves. I think it's got an anti-theft, and a protection-for-the-wearer spell…and it can be made into a portkey, too, all you need to do is key it to you. In case of an emergency, you can use it to get away, and you can take up to one person with you." He explained to Ginny.

Dumbledore frowned, "don't you think it's a bit reckless to spend so much money on a necklace for a ten year old?"

"Aside from the fact that it's my money to spend as I please? I didn't actually spend any money, the Necklace is a family heirloom." Answered Sirius.

"Giving an innocent ten year old a Necklace that's probably cursed? Don't you think that's reckless?" amended Dumbledore.

"You really think I'd give a kid a cursed necklace, Albus? You really think that low of me?" asked Sirius, as Molly walked closer to Ginny to inspect the beautiful necklace.

"Oh, stop complaining, Albus," said Molly, "Sirius is free to give expensive gifts to whomever he wants." She said as she inspected the exquisite piece of craftsmanship.

"Yeah, Albus, stop ruining the day. It's Christmas." Exclaimed Sirius with frown, and he grabbed two packages from under the tree and gave one to Fred and the other to George.

The twins opened their gifts eagerly, and found they had both got a set of robes each. They looked very expensive, and they were super soft to the touch.

"There's one robe for like a classy party, and another for just daily life….you know, since you're in Hogwarts, maybe for Hogsmead weekends, or when you get a date." Explained Sirius with a wink, then he added, "of course, they've got some hidden pockets, and some spells woven into them…anti-wrinkle…auto-sizing…spill proof….dust proof…and of course, some charms to protect against some basic curses and hexes….nothing but the best for the Black family." He finished explaining, with a short laugh.

"Thank you very much." Answered Fred and George in unison, glad to finally have some new robes, for once, instead of hand-me-downs.

"Yes," said Arthur, "thank you, Sirius."

"Ah, shucks, it was no problem." Said Sirius.

"Hey, wait a minute! What about me!" exclaimed Ron, as he noticed there were no more presents under the tree.

Sirius frowned, "…that's right…I forgot about you…well, no one told me you were going to be here so…but, wait here a minute, I've got the perfect gift for you."

Sirius left for a minute, and came back holding a small package, and bearing a smile. Ron grabbed the package right out Sirius' hands, and tore into it with out, only to scream out and drop it when he finally finished opening it.

"What? What happened?" asked Molly, walking closer and kneeling down to grab the dropped package.

She grabbed it, opened it, and saw an exquisitely done necklace, with a spider hanging from it. "Sirius Black, how could you give a spider to my baby? How heartless are you?"

Sirius widened his eyes in seemingly in surprise, "what's wrong with it? I thought he'd like it, spiders are wicked, and boys love wicked things, don't they?"

Albus frowned in disappointment, "Sirius, I had thought your days of heartless pranks were over. To give someone their worst fear as a Christmas gift is low, even for you."

"His worst fear? Well, _I_ didn't know that." Said Sirius, claiming ignorance, and crossing his arms across his chest.

"Don't pretend you didn't know!" shrieked Molly, as she hugged and petted a crying Ron, "You know very well that my little Ronniekin was in a Sanitarium all this time recovering from an attack by invisible you-know-whats!"

"Invisible spiders?" asked Sirius, and Ron cried a bit louder at the word _spider_.

"_Yes_! He had a mental breakdown! He never liked those ugly things, and then someone used his fear in an unwarranted attack against him!" exclaimed Molly in explanation.

The twins scoffed, "unwarranted? Hardly" said Fred.

"What do you mean?" asked Sirius, even though he already knew the whole story, and that's why he had given Ron that spider necklace.

"Well, Ron's the reason that Harry was unconscious, and had to be taken from school…. He's also the reason why that muggleborn was crying in the bathroom all day during Halloween when the Troll got into Hogwarts." Explained George, ignoring the '_shut up now' _looks that he was getting from Dumbledore and Molly.

"Well, considering that both Harry and Hermione ended up being pulled from Hogwarts, and have to wait until the next school year before they can come back, I think a little breakdown is a fitting punishment, don't you think? Besides, it also explains why the Wards rejected him. Ron dislikes Harry, who's my godson, and related to the Black family through his grandmother. The Wards can probably detect how he feels about Harry, and that's why he couldn't grab any food of off the table." commented Sirius, giving Dumbledore a look with a raised eyebrow, and crossed arms.

"Considering all the time you spent in Azkaban," said Dumbledore, "one would think you would want to hear the whole story before passing judgment, Sirius. The boys exaggerate, in both cases, it was simple schoolboy shenanigans, and they were equally instigated. Neither side is fully innocent in the matter, so after all this, I think we can easily sweep this under the rug." Said Dumbledore, subtly changing the subject. He needed Sirius to like Molly, Ron, and the rest of the Weasley's so as to make Harry's future friendship with them easier to start, therefore, going into Ron's attitude problems, and his fault in Harry and Hermione's health problem was not a productive way to accomplish that.

"You know, Ron here is going to need tutors as well." He continued, "He won't be able to go back to school until next school year, either. So he's going to need to catch up, I hope you'll be able to get him to study with little Harry once we get him back?"

"Sure, he can study with Harry and Hermione… although, I do believe Ron is much more behind in his studies in comparison." Agreed Sirius.

"Did you say…Hermione?" asked Dumbledore in a low voice, the last thing he needed was a brat getting in between his plans to make Harry friends with the Weasleys.

"Oh, yes, I talked to my lawyer yesterday, who spoke with the Malfoys, and they agreed to allow Hermione to come here along with Harry. Once school starts back up, and Harry comes here to live with me, she'd be left alone there. Apparently, Harry and Hermione have been studying together, and they are quite well acquainted." Explained Sirius with an easy smile.

"And you didn't ask me about this before doing it because…" commented Dumbledore, his voice filled with annoyance.

"Why should I have? First of all, it's my house. Secondly, it's a big house. Thirdly, you're Albus Dumbledore, self-appointed leader of the light, you're telling me you have a problem with me _rescuing_ a young muggleborn from the clutches of the _evil_ Malfoys?" asked Sirius, his tone filled with annoyance, at first, only to finish his point in an almost sarcastic manner.

Dumbledore, of course, had nothing to say to that.

The rest of the day passed by nice and quiet, for the most part, except for a few Molly related annoyances.

After Sirius was forced to pretend to figure out how to allow them to use the stairs, he was subjected to a lecture by both Molly, and Dumbledore, when Molly tried to go into the Master bedroom with her luggage, only to have a ward on the door prevent her entrance. When she tried to force her way inside, the door shocked her, and Sirius had to explain that the wards were at fault.

"Just because I was able to allow you use of the stairs, doesn't mean I managed to key you into the wards themselves." Explained Sirius with a shrug.

After that, she tried to go into the second biggest bedroom, only to have the same thing happen as before. The ward prevented her entrance into the room, and shocked her if she tried harder.

She ended up being able to get into what seemed to be two empty, abandoned, bedrooms. Both were dark, dingy and overall creepy; the dirt seemed to be caked on everything. She spent an hour or so in each bedroom, with Albus, Arthur, and Ron, whom she said had to help because he was rusty with his wand and had to help. After an hour, and about a dozen different cleaning spells and charms cast, the rooms only barely seemed any different. The people, however, were a different story. They were all covered with dirt, dust, and who knew what else.

They all took turns using the only bathroom that the wards allowed them to enter, a small, unsanitary, bathroom with a toilet, a sink, and a showerhead, but with no bidet or bathtub. Albus, Molly, Arthur, and Ron, all took showers, but they had to suffer through cold water, because the shower faucet wasn't cooperating with any of them. First the water was boiling hot, then it was the perfect temperature for about a minute, after which it would turn icy cold.

By the time they all finished showering, they were somewhat clean, but tempers were running short. Dumbledore was regretting allowing Sirius to remain alive, instead making sure the _boy_ died of sickness in Azkaban. And Molly was on a rampage, insulting anything, and everything, but especially, Black Manor, which she seemed ready to either force Sirius to sell, or burn to the ground; she wasn't sure which, yet.

"I tried to explain before, didn't I?" asked Sirius, thoroughly exasperated. "The wards are complex; they don't read you as welcome guests or something… that's why you couldn't grab food of the table, and that's why you couldn't go into some of the bedrooms. Maybe the wards don't like your attitude, Molly. Or yours, Albus, and that's why they're being difficult."

"I beg your pardon!" exclaimed Molly.

"The Lord of the House of Black is supposed to be me, but you people came into my home, acting like it's rightfully yours and trying to be in charge of everything. I'm the one that was supposed to invite you to stay here if I felt like it, not Albus." Explained Sirius, angered, but managing to hide most it, then he continued, "The wards probably read that the decision to have you here was forced on me."

He breathed almost harshly several times, and then added, annoyed, "And what's with trying to claim the biggest bedrooms for you and your family? This is _my_ home! The master bedroom is mine, and the second biggest is Harry's. For that matter, the third biggest will be Hermione Granger's. You can use the rest of the bedrooms, if you can even get in them, to house your brood. No wonder the house wards are reveling against you, you have no manners!"

Dumbledore went stiff, his eyes cold, and when he noticed that Molly was too shocked to answer, he said, "I think you're going a little over the line here, Sirius. Maybe you should apologize; Molly has done nothing to deserve this treatment. Do you think it's easy to adjust to having to living in a Dark house like this one? And to have this happen during the Holidays?"

"Oh, done nothing, did she? First of all, don't think I don't know the real reason you decided they were _safer_ here with me. You want them to keep an eye on me, especially now that I'm getting Harry! It's not like you couldn't have added some extra wards into _their_ home. There's no real reason for them to be brought here, I don't even know them. And it seems like Harry doesn't either!" exclaimed Sirius.

"That's because he was somehow influenced into asking the hat to get sorted into Slytherin!" exclaimed Dumbledore.

"Oh, and I suppose you know that for a fact, do you?" asked Sirius, thoroughly annoyed and fighting to know say something he would regret. They were so close now to presenting Dumbledore with court papers. Lucius had informed Sirius of everything that they had gathered on Dumbledore, proof of all his illegal activities in relation to all things _Harry Potter_, including the little surprise of how much money in royalties Dumbledore was being given by various companies that were using Harry's name, story, and likeness. But they were waiting until after the holidays to present the court papers to him, that way he'd be busy with all his responsibilities _and _with trying to keep himself out of Azkaban and it'd be easier to keep him away from Harry.

"As a matter of fact, the hat itself told me that Harry could have gone to another house." Commented Dumbledore.

"Oh, and I also suppose that Harry's the first student in the History of Hogwarts that could have gone to another house?" asked Sirius, before adding, "I also suppose that you took the Hat's vague comments that _Harry could have gone to another house_ to mean that _obviously_ he must have been influenced into asking for Slytherin?"

Before Dumbledore could answer, Molly interjected with her own opinion "the Potter's have always gone to Gryffindor! Everyone knows that! Poor Harry must be the first Potter in history to be sorted into Slytherin. The only reason for _that_ must have been that he was influenced by that Malfoy brat before the sorting!"

Sirius laughed loudly at Molly's comment, before saying "shows what _you_ know. Now, admittedly, I haven't had much free time to catch up on news, yet, but from what little I've been able to read, it seems to me that most of what's _common knowledge_ about the Potter's, and the Potter Family History, is, for the most part, complete fabrication. I can see how it'd make for a good morale boost to invent a story about a historically light-sided, always in Gryffindor, family that have made it their business to always side with the leader of the light in battle against the darkness; however, it's just not true." He finished, with an almost mocking smile at Dumbledore.

Before anything else could be said, Kreacher popped in and announced that Remus Lupin was at the door, and then he muttered rudely under his breath about intruders, and fat blood traitors, before popping away.

_Thank Merlin_, thought Sirius to himself, while walking to the door, and proceeding to ignore Dumbledore.

"Remus! I'm so glad you're here! Merry Christmas!" exclaimed Sirius, while inviting Remus inside, and then hugging him close. "Seriously," he whispered to Remus while hugging him, "Molly and Dumbledore have been driving me even crazier than I already am, so you have _no idea_ how glad I am to see you."

"Well, Merry Christmas, then, Sirius." Said Remus with a chuckle. Then as he walked further into the house, he saw Dumbledore and Molly standing next to each other. Molly looked angry, while Dumbledore had a small smile on his face, but it looked tight, forced, and his eyes lacked a twinkle.

Remus greeted them both with a smile and a hug, anyways, despite the tense atmosphere.

"I hope this isn't a bad time, I came to pick up Sirius; we had plans for dinner in muggle London." Commented Remus, as they walked further into the house.

The Weasley children, including Percy, who had been picked up by Arthur about an hour earlier, were all sitting on the floor playing a board game. Ron was stuffing himself on Chinese food, and soda, and the others were snacking on various crisps, and chocolates that Arthur had bought when he went to pick up Percy.

"Ah, we'll join you." Said Dumbledore, as if it was already decided.

"That's not necessary," stated Sirius, shaking his head, "thank you. We wouldn't want you to put yourselves at risk."

"At risk? Why?" asked Molly, looking slightly confused.

Sirius smirked, "that mysterious _threat_ you supposedly received, remember? The reason why Dumbledore is forcing your presence in my home?"

"Ah, right…yes, of course." Answered Molly, coughing and looking away.

Dumbledore, meanwhile, looked like he was seconds away from blasting the stupid, forgetful, woman away with a nasty curse. If only his closest, staunchest, allies weren't so slow, and stupid. The woman all but gave away that the threat against the Weasley's was a forgery; not that Sirius didn't already suspect it, but still.

"Yes, well, you all have fun, don't wait up." Said Sirius before walking out with Remus into the night.

From his home, they took a cab to Kensington Garden, before taking the subway at Queensway and switching routes until they made it all the way to Northfields, it was a good hour and a half of trip, between the cab, and subway. But they wanted to make sure no one was following them.

They had plans to spend Christmas night and Boxing Day at the Malfoy's with Harry. If it all worked out, and no one was the wiser, they planned to spend New Year's Celebration there as well. They were planning on using various spells, charms, and potions, to disguise themselves, of course.

The Malfoy's were planning a big New Year's celebration at their Manor home, and Sirius wanted to be there, mostly to be with Harry, but also to have fun, and work on devious plots with Narcissa and Lucius. Remus had wondered why they didn't just use polyjuice potion, but it would be too suspicious, since it had to be taken every hour. Besides, polyjuice potion was not the only way for a witch or wizard to disguise themselves. It was simply the easiest, and cheapest way; not to mention the only accepted and legal way.

Like it, or not, Sirius had tons of Dark Arts knowledge due to his upbringing. _Well, _thought Sirius to himself, as he approached Malfoy Manor, _ I suppose I should be grateful for it now, all things considered._ He finished this thought just as Harry came walking towards him to greet him with a bright smile and a tight hug.

**End Of Chapter**

**Chiyoku says: **Well, that's it for now. I have several ideas for the next couple of chapters, so I'll do my best to not take so long next time. I hope you enjoyed reading this, and thanks in advance for reviewing! =D


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